Marine Debris Cleanup Gets a Funding Upgrade: NOAA Gains Flexibility, Foundation Must Now Work with Tribes

The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act is essentially a massive administrative tune-up for the existing Marine Debris Act. This bill doesn't create a brand-new program; it reorganizes, renames, and expands the nuts and bolts of how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Marine Debris Foundation fight plastic and junk in our oceans and Great Lakes. The main takeaways are more flexible funding for NOAA, a complete overhaul of the Foundation’s governance, and a mandatory focus on engaging with Indian Tribes.

More Ways to Fund the Fight: NOAA’s New Toolkit

If you run a non-profit or a business that works on marine cleanup, pay attention to Section 2. Currently, NOAA’s Under Secretary could only use grants and contracts to fund projects. This bill expands that authority to include “grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other agreements,” giving NOAA more options to get projects off the ground. Even more interesting is the addition of “in-kind contributions.” For projects carried out under a contract or “other agreement,” NOAA can now provide its portion of the funding through non-cash items—like equipment, staff time, or facilities—if NOAA benefits from that portion of the work. The Under Secretary gets to decide the value of that contribution, which offers flexibility but also means that this valuation process could be subjective. This change streamlines how NOAA can partner with private entities or academic institutions that might have specific resources but need help covering other costs.

The Marine Debris Foundation Gets a Corporate Makeover

Section 3 completely restructures the Marine Debris Foundation, changing its legal status from an “organization” to a “corporation.” The Foundation’s Board of Directors will now serve 6-year terms, and while the Board recommends candidates, the Secretary of Commerce must approve all appointments and removals. This is a significant change, as it centralizes political oversight over the non-profit entity’s leadership. The bill also expands who can receive Foundation funds to include regional organizations, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and foreign governments, broadening the scope of cleanup efforts globally.

Crucially, the bill authorizes an additional $2,000,000 for the Foundation for fiscal year 2025 and reauthorizes the underlying marine debris program through 2029. This means the funding streams for these cleanup efforts are secured for the foreseeable future.

Mandatory Outreach to Tribal Communities

One of the most concrete additions is the requirement that the Foundation must develop and implement best practices for outreach to Indian Tribes and Tribal Governments. This includes providing technical assistance and capacity building (Sec. 3). For Tribal organizations working on coastal cleanup, this provision mandates that the Foundation actively provides resources and awareness of available programs, which could unlock funding and support that was previously harder to access. However, the bill is careful to note that this requirement does not satisfy any legal requirement for government-to-government consultation or affect any treaty rights—it’s a specific requirement for the Foundation, not a replacement for broader federal obligations.

Cutting Through the Jargon: Definitions and Consistency

Much of the remaining bill (Sections 4, 5, and 6) is dedicated to technical cleanup. It renumbers nearly every section of the Marine Debris Act and updates definitions to ensure consistency. For instance, the bill formally defines terms like “circular economy,” “coastal shoreline community,” and “post-consumer materials management.” It also standardizes titles, changing “Administrator” to “Under Secretary” throughout the law. While this might seem like bureaucratic housekeeping, it’s vital for making the law functional and clear. When definitions are vague, implementation gets messy. These changes clarify who is in charge and what terms like “Indian Tribe” and “Tribal Government” mean within the context of marine debris law, reducing confusion for the entities applying for grants or contracting with NOAA.