S. 5563: Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act

This bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study waste dumped in and around the San Pedro Basin off the coast of California. The bill focuses on so-called covered waste, which includes DDT and related chemicals, plus other industrial wastes such as military explosives, radioactive waste, refinery byproducts, and related substances.

What NOAA would have to do

• Monitor the site: Track the condition and changes over time in areas where the waste was dumped.
• Study environmental effects: Research how much of the waste is present, what impact it has, and whether it enters the marine food chain.
• Develop methods: Create tools, technologies, and scientific methods that could help study similar ocean dump sites elsewhere.
• Explore cleanup options: Assess whether bioremediation—using biological processes to help break down contaminants—could work at the San Pedro dump sites.

Grants

The bill would allow NOAA to award grants to support research on deep-seafloor contamination off the California coast. That research could include:

• mapping what contaminants are present and where they are found;
• studying how the contaminants move and change over time;
• examining whether contaminants build up in marine ecosystems and move through the food web.

Report to Congress

Within 3 years after the bill becomes law, NOAA would have to submit a report to several congressional committees. The report would lay out a strategy for further research and possible bioremediation in the San Pedro Basin and identify any other offshore dump sites used for the same types of waste.

Funding

The bill authorizes $6 million per year for fiscal years 2028 through 2034 to carry out these activities.

Relevant Companies

None found