1.This Act may be cited as the
Marine Debris Act Reauthorization
Amendments of 2010
.
2.Section 2 of the Marine Debris Research,
Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951) is amended to read as
follows:
2.The purposes of this Act are—
(1)to address the
adverse impacts of marine debris to the marine environment, navigation safety,
and the economy through investigation and source identification, assessment,
reduction, removal, and prevention;
(2)to continue the
Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee; and
(3)to develop and
maintain the Federal marine debris information
clearinghouse.
.
3.NOAA Marine
Debris ProgramSection 3 of
the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is
amended by striking so much as precedes subsection (c) and inserting the
following:
3.NOAA Marine
Debris Program
(a)There is established, within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, a Marine Debris Program to—
(1)investigate,
identify sources of, assess, reduce, remove, and prevent the occurrence of
marine debris; and
(2)address, and where practicable prevent,
adverse impacts of marine debris on the marine environment, navigation safety,
and the economy.
(b)
(1)Investigations
and assessmentThe Administrator shall, in consultation with
relevant Federal agencies, undertake marine debris investigation and assessment
efforts, with a focus on marine debris posing a threat to the marine
environment, navigation safety, and the economy, including—
(A)investigation,
analysis, and assessment of derelict fishing gear;
(B)investigation,
analysis, and assessment of plastics, as pertains to the health of the marine
environment;
(C)the establishment
of a process for maintaining an inventory of marine debris types and their
impacts found in the navigable waters of the United States and the United
States exclusive economic zone, including impacts on the marine environment,
navigation safety, and the economy; and
(D)measures to
identify the source, location, and projected movement of marine debris within
United States navigable waters, the United States exclusive economic zone, and
the high seas, including the use of oceanographic, atmospheric, satellite, and
remote sensing data.
(2)Prevent, reduce,
and remove occurrence and impactsThe Administrator shall improve efforts to
prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris, including activities to address the
adverse impacts of derelict fishing gear, including—
(A)working with other
Federal agencies to address land-based sources of marine debris;
(B)developing fishing
gear modifications or alternatives to conventional fishing gear posing a threat
to the marine environment;
(C)developing
effective nonregulatory measures and incentives to cooperatively reduce the
volume of lost and discarded fishing gear and to aid in its recovery;
and
(D)developing and
implementing strategies, methods, priorities, and a plan for preventing and
removing marine debris in or likely to enter United States navigable waters or
the United States exclusive economic zone, including development of local or
regional protocols for removal of derelict fishing gear and other marine
debris.
(3)National and
regional coordinationThe Administrator shall undertake national
and regional coordination to assist States, Indian tribes, and regional
organizations to address marine debris issues that are particular to their
areas, including—
(A)facilitating
information exchange within and among States and Indian tribes on issues
relating to marine debris investigation and assessment, prevention, reduction,
and removal activities; and
(B)serving as an
expert resource to State, tribal, and local governments, nongovernment
organizations, fishing communities, industry, and other entities with an
interest in marine debris.
(4)Development of
tools and productsThe Administrator shall develop tools and
products to improve efforts to address marine debris, and make these available
to researchers, the marine debris community, and the general public. The tools
and products may include—
(A)best
practices;
(B)protocols for
monitoring marine debris;
(C)technology;
and
(D)reporting
methods.
(5)International
cooperationThe Administrator, acting through the Marine Debris
Program, may lead the development and implementation of a strategy, in
coordination with other relevant programs, that may be pursued by the United
States with other nations and in appropriate international and regional forums,
to promote international action to reduce the incidence of marine debris,
including—
(A)the adoption of
effective marine debris prevention and removal measures in international and
regional agreements, including fisheries agreements and maritime
agreements;
(B)the development of
standardized national reporting and information guidelines that will assist in
improving information collection and identification and monitoring of marine
debris;
(C)consistent with
the information clearinghouse established under section 6, the promotion of
best practices to address marine debris
;
(D)the establishment
of public-private partnerships and funding sources for pilot programs that will
assist in implementation of marine debris prevention and removal measures in
international agreements and guidelines;
(E)when appropriate,
provision of assistance to the responsible Federal agency in bilateral and
multilateral efforts to effectively address marine debris prevention;
and
(F)actions to implement the relevant
recommendations of the National Research Council report entitled ‘Tackling
Marine Debris in the 21st Century’ and dated
2008.
.
4.Global Marine
Debris Coordination ConferenceThe Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and
Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) is amended by redesignating sections 7,
8, and 9 in order as sections 8, 9, and 10, and by inserting after section 6
the following new section:
7.Global Marine
Debris Coordination ConferenceThe Administrator, in coordination with
representatives of the domestic and nondomestic marine debris community, shall
host a Global Marine Debris Coordination Conference not less often than every
four years, beginning in 2015. The Conference shall be developed with a
steering committee composed of domestic and nondomestic marine debris experts,
led by the
Administrator.
.
5.Definition of
marine debrisSection 8 of the
Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, as redesignated by
section 4 of this Act, is amended—
(1)by moving
paragraph (3) (relating to the definition of United States exclusive
economic zone
) to appear as the last paragraph of the section;
(2)by moving
paragraph (6) (relating to the definition of territorial sea
) to
appear immediately before such last paragraph, as so moved;
(3)by amending the
paragraphs after paragraph (2) as paragraphs (4) through (10);
(4)by redesignating
paragraph (2) as paragraph (3);
(5)by inserting after
paragraph (1) the following new paragraph:
(2)The term Indian
tribe
has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
450b).
;
and
(6)by inserting after
paragraph (3), as so redesignated, the following new paragraph:
(4)The term marine debris
means any man-made
object that—
(A)intentionally or
unintentionally, is discarded, disposed of, or abandoned; and
(B)enters the coastal
or marine environment—
(i)directly from a
vessel, a facility, or shore; or
(ii)indirectly, by
being carried via a river, stream, or storm drain or by other
means.
.
6.Authorization of
appropriationsSection 10 of
the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, as redesignated by
section 4 of this Act, is amended by striking for each fiscal year 2006
through 2010
and inserting for each of fiscal years 2011 through
2015
.