§1972 — Title 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary must set up a prize competition no later than one year after December 18, 2020. The contest will push for new technologies that cut plastic waste and pollution and help stop marine debris. It will award one or more prizes every two years for work in five areas: materials that fully break down in the ocean without harm; better production and packaging that uses less raw material and boosts reuse and recycling; improved detection, monitoring, and cleanup of marine debris; better waste collection, processing, sorting, recycling, or reuse; and designs that cut overall packaging and encourage reuse. The prize will be called the "Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations." When choosing winners, the Secretary must give priority to projects that include a plan (with the application) to reach market scale, that support a circular economy, and that develop materials that fully degrade in the ocean without harming people or wildlife and that are meant for fishing gear or other marine products likely to become accidental ocean waste.

Title 33, §1972

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Not later than 1 year after December 18, 2020, the Secretary shall establish under section 3719 of title 15 a prize competition—

(A)to encourage technological innovation with the potential to reduce plastic waste, and associated and potential pollution, and thereby prevent marine debris; and

(B)to award 1 or more prizes biennially for projects that advance human understanding and innovation in removing and preventing plastic waste, in one of the categories described in paragraph (2).

(2)The categories for projects are:

(A)Advancements in materials used in packaging and other products that, if such products enter the coastal or ocean environment, will fully degrade without harming the environment, wildlife, or human health.

(B)Innovations in production and packaging design that reduce the use of raw materials, increase recycled content, encourage reusability and recyclability, and promote a circular economy.

(C)Improvements in marine debris detection, monitoring, and cleanup technologies and processes.

(D)Improvements or improved strategies to increase solid waste collection, processing, sorting, recycling, or reuse.

(E)New designs or strategies to reduce overall packaging needs and promote reuse.

(b)The prize competition established under subsection (a) shall be known as the “Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations”.

(c)In selecting awards for the prize competition, priority shall be given to projects that—

(1)have a strategy, submitted with the application or proposal, to move the new technology, process, design, material, or other product supported by the prize to market-scale deployment;

(2)support the concept of a circular economy; and

(3)promote development of materials that—

(A)can fully degrade in the ocean without harming the environment, wildlife, or human health; and

(B)are to be used in fishing gear or other maritime products that have an increased likelihood of entering the coastal or ocean environment as unintentional waste.

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 4232 of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 119–65.

§1972 Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations

Summary

Title 33, §1972

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