Hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs - Sullivan, Whitehouse Testify on Marine Debris Crisis, SOS 2.0 Act

Hearing

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) testified yesterday before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS) regarding U.S. efforts to combat the global marine debris crisis and the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, legislation introduced by Sullivan, Whitehouse and Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) that passed the Senate in January and is under consideration by the House.

"With more coastline than the Lower 48 states combined, Alaska and its residents are keenly aware of the threat that marine debris poses to our pristine environment, our world-class fisheries, and our many coastal communities," said Senator Sullivan. "SOS 2.0 is not a silver bullet, but it builds on the success of the Save Our Seas Act and will enable us to make even more significant progress in combatting plastic pollution. Senators Menendez, Whitehouse and I look forward to further action in the House on the bill and to continuing efforts in combating ocean pollution. I especially want to thank Senators Graham and Leahy and members of the subcommittee for their support and for helping to bring attention to this important global environmental challenge."

"I was glad to testify in yesterday's subcommittee hearing along with my partner on ocean plastics, Senator Sullivan," said Senator Whitehouse. "Plastic pollution and marine debris befoul all our oceans and hurt coastal communities in Rhode Island and across the world. We asked for a fund to help clean up the plastic waste already filling our seas and to reduce the amount of new plastic dumped every year. The Save Our Seas Act, now law, and our Save Our Seas 2.0 bill had bipartisan support, and this hearing suggests funding will be bipartisan too. I thank Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Leahy."

The subcommittee also heard testimony from Jonathan Moore, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Michelle Bekkering, assistant administrator of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The SOS 2.0 Act is composed of three main pieces:

Strengthening the United States' domestic marine debris response capability with a Marine Debris Foundation, a genius prize for innovation, and new research to tackle the issue.
Enhancing global engagement to combat marine debris, including formalizing U.S. policy on international cooperation, enhancing federal agency outreach to other countries, and exploring the potential for a new international agreement on the challenge.
Improving domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris through new grants for infrastructure and studies of waste management and mitigation.
The SOS 2.0 Act is cosponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Brian Schatz (D- Hawaii), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Angus King (I-Maine), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), in addition to Senators Whitehouse, Sullivan, and Menendez.

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