Ocean Protection Council: Statewide Microplastics Strategy.

The California Ocean Protection Act establishes the Ocean Protection Council in state government and prescribes the functions and duties of the council with regard to the protection and conservation of coastal waters and ocean ecosystems. This bill would require the council, to the extent funds are available from bonds or other sources, to adopt and implement a Statewide Microplastics Strategy, related to microplastic materials that pose an emerging concern for ocean health, that includes specified components, as provided. The bill would authorize the council, in collaboration with the State Water Resources Control Board, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and other interested entities, to enter into one or more contracts with marine research institutes in the state for the provision of research services that would contribute directly to the development of the Statewide Microplastics Strategy. The bill would require the council, subject to the availability of funding, to submit the Statewide Microplastics Strategy to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2021, and to report to the Legislature on the implementation and findings of the Statewide Microplastics Strategy, and on recommendations for policy changes or additional research, on or before December 31, 2025.