On December 1, 2020, the United States Senate passed the Save Our Seas Act 2.0. Ocean Conservancy has advocated for the bill since its inception in 2019, and praised the House of Representatives for moving the bill forward in a vote earlier this fall. Kacky Andrews, Chief of Strategy at Ocean Conservancy, released the following statement:

“Passage of this bill could not come at a more apt time. In October, Ocean Conservancy scientists and colleagues published groundbreaking research showing that the United States produces the most plastic waste in the world, and is among the top contributors to the plastic pollution crisis. This reality demands swift and decisive action on two fronts: reducing the amount of plastics we produce, and investing in stronger, more effective waste management systems here at home.

“The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act firmly begins to address the latter by commissioning studies to identify technological innovations and mandating that the EPA develop a strategy to strengthen our own domestic waste infrastructure, among other measures. Without a doubt more will need to be done, but this is an excellent way to end the year and we applaud the sponsors across both sides of the aisle for spurring Congress to act.

“We look forward to working with the incoming Biden administration to build on the success of this bill and pursue even more ambitious legislation to come in service of a clean, healthy ocean.”

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About Ocean Conservancy

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.