United StatesBill would have NOAA study waste dumped off California
If enacted, NOAA would study waste dumped off California, explore ways to break it down, and report on further research and other dump sites.
What it does
NOAA would track covered waste dumped near the San Pedro Basin, study its effects, and explore ways to break it down.
NOAA may give grants for studies of deep-seafloor pollution from waste dumped off California, including how pollutants move and build up in marine food webs.
NOAA would report to House and Senate committees on further research and waste cleanup plans for the San Pedro Basin, and identify other offshore dump sites.
The bill would authorize $6 million each year for the work, but Congress would still need to provide the money.
Argument forTracking waste and studying how it moves through the food web could help NOAA guide future research and cleanup plans.
Argument againstResearch could improve understanding without removing the dumped waste, so nearby communities and marine life might continue to face it.
More detail
NOAA would monitor dumping near the San Pedro Basin, study its effects, and explore ways to break down waste. The work covers DDT and related industrial and military waste dumped in and around the San Pedro Basin and at San Pedro offshore dump sites.
NOAA may give grants for studies of deep-seafloor pollution from waste dumped off California. Studies may examine where contamination is found, how it moves, and how it builds up in marine food webs. The bill permits grants but does not require NOAA to award them.
NOAA would report on plans for more research and ways to break down waste, and identify other offshore dump sites for covered waste. The report would go to the listed committees in the House and Senate and cover the San Pedro Basin and other offshore sites used to dump covered waste. The report would be due within three years after enactment.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $6 million each year for the work. The authorization covers carrying out the Act. This authorizes money to be appropriated; it does not itself provide the funds. The authorization covers fiscal years 2028 through 2034.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 24Introduced in HouseLatest
- Sep 24Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.Introduced
Environment & Energy