EFFECTS OF PLASTIC MATERIALS ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT.

SEC. 2203. EFFECTS OF PLASTIC MATERIALS ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT. Not later than September 30, 1988, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the Congress a report on the effects of plastic materials on the marine environment. The report shall— (1) identify and quantify the harmful effects of plastic materials on the marine environment; (2) assess the specific effects of plastic materials on living marine resources in the marine environment; (3) identify the types and classes of plastic materials that pose the greatest potential hazard to living marine resources; (4) analyze, in consultation with the Director of the National Bureau of Standards, plastic materials which are claimed to be capable of reduction to environmentally benign submits under the action of normal environmental forces (including biological decomposition, photodegradation, and hydrolysis); and (5) recommend legislation which is necessary to prohibit, tax, or regulate sources of plastic materials that enter the marine environment.