The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act modifies and enhances the Marine Debris Act and the Marine Debris Foundation to improve marine debris prevention and cleanup efforts, including support for Indian Tribes and Tribal Governments.
Dan Sullivan
Senator
AK
The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act modifies and clarifies the Marine Debris Act and the Marine Debris Foundation, including renaming and moving sections, updating definitions, and modifying the appointment process for the Foundation's directors. It directs the Foundation to develop best practices for outreach to Indian Tribes and Tribal Governments, ensuring that the Act does not affect government-to-government consultation requirements or modify any treaty rights. The Act also updates references to the "Administrator" to "Under Secretary" and includes conforming amendments to ensure consistency throughout the legislation. Finally, it extends the authorization for carrying out the Act through fiscal year 2029 and authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2025.
Cleanup Crew Gets Organized: New Bill Amends Marine Debris Laws, Sets $2M for Tribal Support in FY25
This bill, the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act, is essentially a legislative tune-up for how the U.S. manages marine debris efforts. It reorganizes parts of the existing Marine Debris Act and the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, tweaks the structure and rules for the Marine Debris Foundation, and notably, adds specific requirements for involving and supporting Indian Tribes and Tribal Governments in these programs.
Shuffling the Deck: Reorganizing Marine Debris Rules
Think of this part like reorganizing files for better access. The bill renames and renumbers existing sections of the Marine Debris Act (Sec. 2, Sec. 4). It's mostly administrative housekeeping, aiming to make the laws governing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) marine debris program and related initiatives easier to navigate. It also clarifies that the Under Secretary (leading NOAA's efforts here) can contribute "in-kind" resources, like staff time or equipment, to projects it partners on, covering costs that benefit NOAA directly (Sec. 2).
Foundation Facelift: New Rules for the Marine Debris Hub
The Marine Debris Foundation, a key player supporting cleanup efforts, gets some significant updates (Sec. 3). It's now officially termed a "corporation" (not just "organization"), and its Board of Directors sees changes: candidates are recommended to the Under Secretary, terms are set at a standard 6 years, and appointments need approval. There are also clearer lines on appointing and removing the chief executive officer. Plus, the Foundation must now set up its main office either in the D.C. area ("National Capital Region") or in a "coastal shoreline community" – defined as a city or county right by the open ocean, major estuaries, or the Great Lakes (Sec. 5).
Opening the Door: Bringing Tribal Nations into the Cleanup Crew
A major shift is the formal inclusion and support for Native American communities. The Foundation is explicitly tasked with supporting "Indian Tribes" alongside other groups (Sec. 3). More importantly, it must develop best practices for outreach to Tribes and Tribal Governments, including providing technical help and promoting awareness of grants (Sec. 3). The bill authorizes $2 million specifically for these purposes in fiscal year 2025 and adds Tribes and Tribal organizations to the list of groups eligible for funding, extending the overall authorization through FY 2029 (Sec. 3). Crucially, the text clarifies this doesn't override any existing government-to-government consultation duties or treaty rights (Sec. 3). It also updates definitions to clearly include "Indian Tribe," "Tribal Government," and "Tribal organization" using established federal definitions (Sec. 5).
Crossing the T's: Definitions and Admin Updates
Like any legal document update, this involves clarifying language. New definitions are added or referenced for terms like "circular economy" and "post-consumer materials management" (pulling from the original Save Our Seas 2.0 Act), alongside the Tribal terms and "coastal shoreline community" (Sec. 5). Throughout the amended laws, titles are updated – for instance, replacing "Administrator" (often referring to the EPA head in other contexts) with "Under Secretary" (usually the NOAA lead for these programs) where appropriate, reflecting agency roles (Sec. 6). These changes aim for consistency and clarity across the board.