New legislation expands scope of NOAA marine debris program to deal with natural disaster debris. President Obama has signed legislation reauthorizing the NOAA Marine Debris Program and its mission to address the harmful impacts of marine debris on the United States. The program, which is housed within NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, was originally created in 2006 by the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act. For the most part, the NOAA Marine Debris Program ’s mandates remain the same: to identify…