[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13144-13148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MARINE DEBRIS ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the

[[Page 13145]]

bill (H.R. 1171) to reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Research, 
Prevention, and Reduction Act, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1171

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Debris Act Amendments 
     of 2012''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this 
     Act an amendment is expressed as an amendment to a section or 
     other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made 
     to a section or other provision of the Marine Debris 
     Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et 
     seq.), as in effect immediately before the enactment of this 
     Act.

     SEC. 3. SHORT TITLE AMENDMENT.

       Section 1 (33 U.S.C. 1951 note) is amended by striking 
     ``Research, Prevention, and Reduction''.

     SEC. 4. PURPOSE.

       Section 2 (33 U.S.C. 1951) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

       ``The purpose of this Act is to address the adverse impacts 
     of marine debris on the United States economy, the marine 
     environment, and navigation safety through identification, 
     determination of sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, 
     and removal of marine debris.''.

     SEC. 5. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.

       (a) Name of Program.--
       (1) In general.--Section 3 (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended--
       (A) in the section heading by striking ``prevention and 
     removal''; and
       (B) in subsection (a)--
       (i) by striking ``Prevention and Removal Program to reduce 
     and prevent'' and inserting ``Program to identify, determine 
     sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``the economy of the United States,'' 
     after ``marine debris on''; and
       (iii) by inserting a comma after ``environment''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Paragraph (7) of section 7 (33 
     U.S.C. 1956) is amended by striking ``Prevention and 
     Removal''.
       (b) Program Components.--Section 3(b) (33 U.S.C. 1952(b)) 
     is amended to read as follows:
       ``(b) Program Components.--The Administrator, acting 
     through the Program and subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, shall--
       ``(1) identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, 
     reduce, and remove marine debris, with a focus on marine 
     debris posing a threat to living marine resources and 
     navigation safety;
       ``(2) provide national and regional coordination to assist 
     States, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in 
     identification, determination of sources, assessment, 
     prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris;
       ``(3) undertake efforts to reduce adverse impacts of lost 
     and discarded fishing gear on living marine resources and 
     navigation safety, including--
       ``(A) research and development of alternatives to gear 
     posing threats to the marine environment, and methods for 
     marking gear used in specific fisheries to enhance the 
     tracking, recovery, and identification of lost and discarded 
     gear; and
       ``(B) development of effective nonregulatory measures and 
     incentives to cooperatively reduce the volume of lost and 
     discarded fishing gear and to aid in its recovery; and
       ``(4) undertake outreach and education of the public and 
     other stakeholders on sources of marine debris, threats 
     associated with marine debris, and approaches to identify, 
     determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove 
     marine debris and its adverse impacts on the United States 
     economy, the marine environment, and navigational safety, 
     including outreach and education activities through public-
     private initiatives.''.
       (c) Repeal.--Section 2204 of the Marine Plastic Pollution 
     Research and Control Act of 1987 and the item relating to 
     that section in the table of contents contained in section 2 
     of the United States-Japan Fishery Agreement Approval Act of 
     1987 (33 U.S.C. 1915) are repealed.
       (d) Grant Criteria and Guidelines.--Section 3(c) (33 U.S.C. 
     1952(c)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section 2(1)'' and 
     inserting ``section 2'';
       (2) by repealing paragraph (5); and
       (3) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs 
     (5) and (6).

     SEC. 6. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE PROVISIONS.

       Section 4 (33 U.S.C. 1953) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``(a) Strategy.--''; and
       (2) by repealing subsections (b) and (c).

     SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS.

       (a) Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (b), 
     section 2203 of the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and 
     Control Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 1914) is redesignated and 
     moved to replace and appear as section 5 of the Marine Debris 
     Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1954).
       (2) Clerical amendment.--The item relating to section 2203 
     in the table of contents contained in section 2 of the United 
     States-Japan Fishery Agreement Approval Act of 1987 is 
     repealed.
       (b) Biennial Progress Reports.--Section 5(c)(2) (33 U.S.C. 
     1954(c)(2)), as in effect immediately before the enactment of 
     this Act--
       (1) is redesignated as subsection (e) of section 5, as 
     redesignated and moved by the amendment made by subsection 
     (a) of this section; and
       (2) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``Annual progress reports.--'' and all that 
     follows through ``thereafter'' and inserting ``Biennial 
     Progress Reports.--Bienially'';
       (B) by inserting ``Natural'' before ``Resources'';
       (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E) as 
     paragraphs (1) through (5) of such subsection; and
       (D) by moving such subsection 2 ems to the left.

     SEC. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY OF SUBMITTED INFORMATION.

       Section 6(2) (33 U.S.C. 1955(2)) is amended by striking 
     ``by the fishing industry''.

     SEC. 9. MARINE DEBRIS DEFINITION.

       Section 7 (33 U.S.C. 1956) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (9), and 
     moving such paragraph to appear after paragraph (8); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) Marine debris.--The term `marine debris' means any 
     persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed 
     and directly or indirectly, and intentionally or 
     unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine 
     environment or the Great Lakes.''.

     SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 9 (33 U.S.C. 1958) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``are'' and inserting ``is'';
       (2) by striking ``2006 through 2010'' and all that follows 
     through ``(1)'' and inserting ``through fiscal year 2015'';
       (3) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$10,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$4,900,000''; and
       (4) by striking ``; and'' and all that follows through the 
     end of paragraph (2) and inserting a period.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1171.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 1171, the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012, reauthorizes the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's, NOAA, Marine Debris 
Program at currently appropriated levels through 2015. The program has 
played a crucial role in preventing and reducing the amount of trash on 
our beaches and in the ocean.
  I think it's important to note that this program is not regulatory in 
nature. It takes a voluntary approach to improving the conditions of 
our marine environment.
  Failure to adequately address marine debris has major consequences on 
our economy. Large objects floating in our oceans threaten the safe 
navigation of cargo ships and recreational boaters. Derelict fishing 
gear costs commercial fishermen millions of dollars in lost revenue. 
And debris washing up on our shores forces the closing of beaches, a 
major blow to local economies reliant on tourism.
  In Alaska, NOAA's Marine Debris has worked with local partners to 
conduct more than 20 projects that have removed 750,000 pounds of 
debris from our shoreline since 2006. But the problem of marine debris 
is about to get worse for Alaska and other Pacific coast States. NOAA 
estimates there's 1.5 million tons of debris headed our way as a result 
of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and the tsunami.
  Alaskans are already finding Styrofoam, plastic, wood, and other 
lightweight debris washing up on our islands. In May, the Coast Guard 
was forced to sink an abandoned Japanese vessel laden with fuel oil 
before it broke open on the Southeast panhandle.

[[Page 13146]]

  Reauthorization of the Marine Debris Program is critical to help 
Alaska and other coastal States protect our economies and ecosystems 
and ensure the safety of those transiting our waters.
  I want to commend Representative Sam Farr from California for 
introducing this bill. As an original cosponsor of this important 
bipartisan effort, I urge all Members to support the bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1171, bipartisan legislation 
that reauthorizes the Marine Debris Research Prevention and Reduction 
Act through fiscal year 2016.
  Just this June, on the Pacific coast, an entire 70-foot dock washed 
up on the coast of Oregon. This is only one piece of the estimated 1.5 
million tons of marine debris from the disastrous 2011 Japanese tsunami 
that will wash up on the west coast. Disasters like this are why it is 
so important that we reauthorize this legislation today.
  Marine debris remains a persistent threat to maritime safety and to 
the health of our oceans and to our lakes. Thanks to the enactment of 
the Marine Debris Research Prevention and Reduction Act in 2006, we now 
have a much better understanding of marine debris and its impact on our 
shorelines.
  This law led to the establishment of effective partnerships between 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and the 
United States Coast Guard. It has led to better coordinated research 
and debris removal activities, and it built greater understanding of 
the challenges we face in addressing this threat.
  Marine debris is a much larger and growing problem than we first 
thought, and with the recent disaster in Japan, it will continue to 
grow. Cleaning up marine debris takes coordination between several 
agencies and States and requires expensive resources to clean up.
  Earlier this week, NOAA provided a new analysis estimating that it 
now costs the agency, on average, more than $4,300 to remove 1 ton of 
marine debris from the environment. NOAA also said that the dock that 
washed up on the shores of Oregon will cost $85,000 alone.
  Despite what we've learned, and despite the fact that States on the 
Pacific coast and Hawaii will have to contend with 1.5 million tons of 
marine debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami for years to come, the 
majority has insisted on cutting authorized funding levels for this 
program in half. Cutting authorized funding for this program at this 
time seems shortsighted, and I'm confident that the Senate will insist 
on the higher authorized funding level in any final compromise bill.
  But despite those reservations about the reduced funding levels in 
this bill as reported by the majority, it is imperative that we 
reauthorize the Marine Debris Act today to address this growing threat 
in our future.
  I want to thank the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Farr), for his extraordinary leadership on this issue. 
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1171.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the support we've seen in a 
bipartisan fashion here for this legislation known as the Marine Debris 
Act Amendments of 2012.
  This bill was first carried and introduced in the United States 
Senate by Senator Inouye and the late Senator Ted Stevens. They 
recognized, Senator Inouye from Hawaii, the entire island surrounded by 
ocean, and so much washes up on the shores of the islands, and Alaska, 
with probably one of the longest coastlines in the United States, 
certainly impacts from the ocean on them. And that's why it's so nice 
and wonderful to have my colleague Don Young from Alaska, the only 
Representative in the House from Alaska, to be a strong proponent of 
this.
  As he pointed out, Alaska has already seen the consequences of not 
having reauthorization when the Japanese tsunami has started to wash 
up. They've spent, in the first wave of the tsunami debris, Alaska's 
already spent over $200,000 of State money in just aerial monitoring of 
the local debris from the Japanese tsunami.
  What this legislation does in reauthorization is allow States to 
receive grants from NOAA so that the States can deal with their 
coastline debris problems.

                              {time}  2000

  It is important we do this for an even bigger purpose, which is that, 
frankly, life on land is dependent on the quality of life at sea. We 
know that we have over the years and decades been dumping everything we 
don't like on land--and can't figure out where else to dump it--into 
the ocean. At the same time, we take whatever we want out of the ocean. 
Dumping and taking can upset the system so badly that you have oceans 
die; and, certainly, we have big parts of the ocean that are dying 
because of all the debris and waste that are in the oceans.
  What this bill does is allow the Coast Guard, in working with NOAA, 
which is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to 
jointly look at, monitor and figure out ways to clean this stuff up. If 
we don't do that, we're going to suffer. It's like living in pollution 
in your own backyard. Eventually, there are consequences.
  I think that those of us who have done ocean legislation over the 
years--and Don Young has been one of the greater ones to understand 
it--realize that, in solving the problem, it's going to require local 
action and that it's going to require national and international 
coordination. It's not our ocean alone. It goes all over the world, and 
things in the ocean go all over the world. Just think of the old 
stories about bottles and where they wind up. Now we see with the 
tsunami that all this Japanese land mass stuff that was washed into the 
sea is now showing up in Alaska and is showing up in Oregon and has 
shown up on the beaches in California--in Capitola, where I live.
  This problem is also going to require some partnerships between the 
private sector and the fishermen community, in that it knows where some 
of these drift nets are, and between the public sector. It's going to 
require innovative technology. You have to detect it. We have found 
nets that have been left in Monterey Bay that are too heavy to lift out 
with conventional craft. We're going to have to go back to the fishing 
boats and to the families who lost those nets and use their fishing 
boats, which is a private enterprise supported by the public know-how 
of how to retrieve those nets. I think it's very exciting. It's 
certainly going to require education so that people don't keep dumping 
things they don't want into the ocean.
  There are consequences for dumping. California is now addressing it 
in every local community by just storm water, the fact that all the 
water that falls on our streets and roads picks up oil and picks up 
other stuff that isn't compatible with ocean life and washes into it. 
We have done a lot to clean up sewers and to say we're not going to 
dump that stuff out into the ocean anymore, but we're still allowing 
other storm water to get out there. California is addressing this 
almost community by community, that being: How do we stop storm water 
and polluted storm water from getting into the ocean?
  So this legislation of reauthorizing debris cleanup is much more than 
just giving NOAA some money to go out there and figure it out. It's 
really an entire program of figuring out how to keep oceans healthy.
  I appreciate the bipartisan support. I appreciate the leadership of 
Mr. Young, and I appreciate the leadership on the committees. This bill 
went to two committees--to the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee and to the Natural Resources Committee. Both committees 
passed it out in bipartisan fashion, and now we have to pass it in the 
Senate. I hope it's not too late, and I hope Congressman Young will 
work with me in getting bipartisan support in the Senate so that we can 
get this

[[Page 13147]]

bill to the President and get it signed before the calendar year runs 
out.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank the gentleman from California. Mr. Farr has been one 
of the leaders who has been concerned with the oceans, and this debris 
bill is crucially important to the State of California and especially 
to Alaska. Mr. Farr came to me many months ago and said we've got to 
get this done. We've got to get this done. A lot of people weren't 
interested, and now we finally get to a point where we see what's 
occurring from the tsunami, although we may not have that recur again.
  The crisis in the ocean, though, is detrimental, as I mentioned in my 
opening statement, to the fishermen whom I represent and to the 
recreational people whom I represent. So to get it out of the ocean 
even before it reaches the beaches is crucially important. The beaches 
sometimes are sort of fun to beachcomb, but if there is something bad 
that's in the ocean, we should try to retrieve it sooner, if possible; 
and when it gets there, we really want to be able to take care of it.
  There should be more money--I won't disagree with the gentleman from 
Washington--but we're moving this down the road. We'll see what happens 
on the Senate side, and we'll see if we can't get a little more effort, 
because it's a partnership program that makes this thing work. A lot of 
people have interest in Alaska and in trying to clean the beaches after 
it arrives, and we're trying to get more people interested in cleaning 
the ocean up before it does arrive. Hopefully, it will work together.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. I have no more speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I have no more speakers, so I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
1171, the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012. I want to commend my 
colleague and friend Congressman Sam Farr from California for 
introducing this legislation and continually working for its passage.
  As a member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, 
one of my top priorities was to take action on legislation to address 
our nation's ocean environment. I am pleased to say that this 
legislation, H.R. 1171, would continue to combat the adverse impacts of 
marine debris on the United States economy, the marine environment, and 
navigation safety through identification, determination of sources, 
assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris.
  This legislation will reauthorize NOAA's existing Marine Debris 
Program to support important projects throughout the country, including 
beach cleanups, derelict fishing gear location and removal, and 
educational campaigns. The program helps to identify, determine sources 
of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris, with a focus on 
marine debris posing a threat to living marine resources and navigation 
safety. This reauthorizing language would serve to streamline these 
programs by avoiding any overlaps or conflicts with other federal 
agencies.
  The legislation would help protect the environment and the economy of 
coastal communities throughout the Nation. Earlier this year, tsunami 
debris washed ashore the coasts of Oregon and Washington, calling 
attention to the need for a comprehensive plan to coordinate clean-up 
efforts. Indeed, the impacts of the March 2011 tsunami in Japan will 
continue to impact our shores over the coming months and years and this 
bill gives us the tools to respond to this situation. In particular, 
Guam would greatly benefit from the passage of the Marine Debris Act 
Amendments of 2012 as it would give states and local communities the 
additional tools needed to effectively care for our marine environments 
and wildlife.
  Again, I applaud Representative Farr for introducing this 
legislation. I thank Chairman Mica, Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member 
Rahall and Ranking Member Markey for their leadership in bringing this 
important bill which enhances our understanding of the marine 
environment to the House floor. I encourage my colleagues to continue 
supporting this important legislation that addresses one of the most 
serious threats to our oceans today.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, the House passed H.R. 1171, known as the 
Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012.
  This act reauthorizes the NOAA Marine Debris Program at currently 
appropriated levels through fiscal year 2015. It has strong bipartisan 
support, particularly from my colleague Don Young, who was an original 
co-sponsor.
  Look, nobody wants to go out on the water or to sit on the beach and 
see trash. But it's not just an eyesore--marine debris is a very 
critical problem for marine ecosystems, fisheries, and shipping. Marine 
debris can have devastating impacts on the U.S. economy too. For 
instance, it is estimated that $250 million of marketable lobster is 
lost annually to derelict fishing gear, which can also cause up to $792 
million per year in damages to boat propellers.
  Right now, an estimated 5-20 million tons of debris from the Japan's 
tsunami are floating across the Pacific Ocean toward the United States. 
As this first wave of tsunami debris--including a 66-ft dock teaming 
with over 90 non-native species--washes ashore, I am astounded by the 
magnitude of this disaster's global impact. Cleanup costs can be huge. 
Alaska has already spent $200,000 just for aerial monitoring of the 
local debris field from the Japanese tsunami. While the Japanese 
tsunami debris resulted from a natural disaster, ocean trash is 
preventable.
  Added to the debris that's already out there--is an average of 7 
million tons of new trash dumped into the ocean each year. Solving this 
problem is going to require:
  Local action, national and international coordination;
  Unique partnerships between private and public sectors;
  Innovative technology;
  Education, Research and Prevention.
  The NOAA Marine Debris Program has been achieving real successes at 
sea and on shore, for a modest amount of funding. But this program 
expired in 2010 and must be reauthorized. Over the past 5 years, 
funding has ranged from 3.2 million to 4.9 million dollars.
  It is clear from the recent tsunami debris events--the boat off the 
coast of Washington and the dock washed ashore in Oregon--that the 
problem is growing. There is no doubt in my mind that the Marine Debris 
Program could effectively spend $10 million dollars a year--that is the 
magnitude of the problem. And that is what was authorized in 2006. As 
this bill moves through the legislative process, I hope we can bring up 
the funding levels. Most of these funds go to local communities in the 
form of grants for marine debris cleanup, education, research, and 
prevention efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, NOAA's Marine Debris Program is leading the effort to 
address this growing problem proactively and I thank my colleagues for 
passing for H.R. 1171.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
the Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments, which is important 
legislation to my district in Northern California and the West Coast. 
This bipartisan legislation will maintain current efforts to remove 
marine debris from our coastlines, provide updates on the status of 
marine debris, and prevent redundant activities among state and federal 
agencies.
  Marine debris has been a problem for our oceans and coasts for 
decades. Trash has been filling our oceans and thereby impacting human 
health, harming wildlife, and littering our favorite beaches. For over 
25 years, we have been relying heavily on volunteers, non-governmental 
organizations, and local governments to patrol our shores and pick up 
our trash. For example, in 2010 more than 5,400 cars could have been 
outfitted with the tires found during beach cleanup efforts. The work 
of these volunteers and organizations is invaluable and they need our 
help. Not only in terms of their planned cleanup activities, but to 
help in times of catastrophic events that create debris that is beyond 
physical and fiscal capabilities to remove.
  Today, marine debris is of even more concern since a massive tsunami 
tragically struck the coastline of Japan 16 months ago. The disaster 
claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000, and destroyed or damaged 
well over a million buildings with 130-foot waves.
  Studies by the Japanese government estimate approximately 5 million 
tons of debris was swept into the ocean. Of that, 1.5 million tons are 
thought to be heading towards the West Coast of the United States.
  As the Congressional representative for the longest coastline in the 
lower 48 states, the impending arrival of the tsunami debris is of 
utmost concern. It is essential that we have fully developed 
contingency plans to remove debris that hits our shores, especially 
objects that are considered hazardous.
  Over the past few months, debris from the Japanese tsunami (ranging 
from soccer balls to 66-foot piers) has landed along the Pacific Coast 
of the United States. It is clear we cannot deal with this issue 
without proper funding

[[Page 13148]]

and resources. In this economic climate, we need to think critically 
and creatively to develop funding solutions that address this increase 
in marine debris.
  The reauthorization of the Marine Debris Program by this legislation 
will facilitate national and international efforts to research, 
prevent, and reduce the impacts of garbage on our shores. Once we pass 
this crucial legislation, the next step is to provide funding to our 
states to handle both emergency debris issues and everyday trash 
problems.
  Marine debris is a global problem with local implications. More than 
ever, we need knowledge and guidance on marine debris and I urge a yes 
vote for H.R. 1171.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1171, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________