NOAA Marine Debris Program

There is established, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a Marine Debris Program to identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris and address the adverse impacts of marine debris on the economy of the United States, the marine environment, and navigation safety. The Under Secretary, acting through the Program and subject to the availability of appropriations, shall— undertake efforts to reduce the adverse impacts of lost and discarded fishing gear on living marine resources and navigation safety, including— develop, in consultation with the Interagency Committee, interagency plans for the timely response to events determined by the Under Secretary to be severe marine debris events, including plans to— in the case of an event determined to be a severe marine debris event under subsection (c)— At the discretion of the Under Secretary or at the request of the Governor of an affected State, the Under Secretary shall determine whether there is a severe marine debris event. The Under Secretary, acting through the Program, shall enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, and other agreements and provide financial assistance in the form of grants for projects to accomplish the purpose set forth in section 1951 of this title. Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C), Federal funds for any grant under this section may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of such project. For purposes of this subparagraph, the non-Federal share of project costs may be provided by in-kind contributions and other noncash support. The Under Secretary may waive all or part of a matching requirement under subparagraph (A) or (C) if the Under Secretary determines that no reasonable means are available through which applicants can meet the matching requirement and the probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such matching requirement. Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) and except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under a determination made under subsection (c) shall be— If authorized by the Under Secretary or the Attorney General, as appropriate, the non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this chapter may include money paid pursuant to, or the value of any in-kind service performed under, an administrative order on consent or judicial consent decree that will remove or prevent marine debris. The non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this chapter may not include any money paid pursuant to, or the value of any in-kind service performed under, any other administrative order or court order. Any State, local, or Tribal Government whose activities affect research or regulation of marine debris, and any institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or commercial organization with expertise in a field related to marine debris, is eligible to submit to the Under Secretary a marine debris proposal under the grant program. The Under Secretary shall— Each grantee under this section shall provide periodic reports as required by the Under Secretary. Each report shall include all information required by the Under Secretary for evaluating the progress and success in meeting its stated goals, and impact of the grant activities on the marine debris problem. With respect to any project carried out pursuant to a contract or other agreement entered into under paragraph (1) that is not a cooperative agreement or an agreement to provide financial assistance in the form of a grant, the Under Secretary may contribute on an in-kind basis the portion of the costs of the project that the Under Secretary determines represents the amount of benefit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration derives from the project.