Regular readers of this blog know a modest, but important piece of legislation—the Save Our Seas (SOS) Act—has been slowly making its way through the legislative process. Well, I’m happy to share the great news that the SOS Act has been enacted into law! Congress recently cleared the final version of the SOS Act, and the President signed it into law as of a few moments ago.

I’ve said it before, yet it’s worth repeating: this is a triumph of bipartisanship, as both Republicans and Democrats came together to take this humble first step towards addressing the ever-increasing global marine debris problem.

The SOS Act isn’t the end of the fight; it’s just the beginning. Ocean Conservancy is already working with our partners and allies on Capitol Hill to identify opportunities for further action to address the growing marine debris problem. There is no “silver bullet” cure-all, but together we can continue the fight to make our oceans a cleaner, healthier place.