Plastic Pollution Control Act of 1987

Summary

Plastic Pollution Control Act of 1987 - Title I: Amendments to the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships - Amends the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships to implement Annex V to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (concerning the disposal of plastics and other garbage at sea). References the MARPOL Protocol of 1978 relating to the Convention. Applies such Act to all U.S. vessels, ships on U.S. waters, including its exclusive economic zone, and U.S. ports or terminals. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate regulations for determining the adequacy of reception facilities for garbage at ports and terminals. Provides a certification procedure for complying facilities. Permits U.S. inspection of ships within its navigable waters, and also in the exclusive economic zone of the U.S. for Annex V enforcement purposes. Requires U.S. vessels to maintain logbooks, develop shipboard waste management plans, and display placards outlining Annex V requirements. Requires a report to the Congress within two years on the implementation of this requirement. Establishes civil penalties for violations of such Annex and violations under the Refuse Act. Title II: Studies and Report - Directs the Coast Guard to report to the Congress every two years on compliance with Annex V. Requires other Federal agencies operating or contracting for the operation of ships to also report to the Congress. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to study and report to the Congress on how to mitigate the adverse effects on the environment, including fish and wildlife, of discarding and dumping plastics. Requires the study to include the impact of plastics in the solid waste stream, the availability of packaging alternatives, and the feasibility of recycling. Requires the Administrator, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Secretaries of Transportation and the Interior to educate the public about the environmental threat posed by the improper disposal of articles, including plastic, through public service announcements, citizen pollution patrols, and other means. Title III: Regulation of Plastic Ring Carriers - Directs the Administrator to require that plastic ring carriers (such as those on canned beverage six-packs) be made of naturally degradable material. Title IV: Bight Restoration Plan - Directs the Administrator to prepare and submit to the Congress a plan to control pollution in the New York bight (an area of ocean waters off the New York and New Jersey shores), including preliminary reports and schedules on pollutant inputs and dumping alternatives. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1988 through 1990. Title V: Relation to Other Law - States that this law does not preempt other Federal or State laws unless particularly specified.

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Documents

4 official files

• Public Law (PDF)

  Public Law · EN · 29 October 1988

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• Passed House amended

  summary · EN · 4 October 1988

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• Passed Senate amended

  summary · EN · 13 May 1988

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 21 December 1987

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