33 



[The prepared statement of Ms. Clark can be found at the end of 

 the hearing.] 

 Mr. Green. Thank you, Ms. Clark. Mr. Lee. 



STATEMENT OF DWAYNE LEE, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

 OF DEVELOPMENT, PORT OF LOS ANGELES FOR THE AMERI- 

 CAN ASSOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIES 



Mr. Lee. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you 

 very much. My name is Dwayne Lee. I am the Deputy Executive 

 Director of Development for the Port of Los Angeles, but I am testi- 

 fying today on behalf of the American Association of Port Authori- 

 ties. I serve as a member of the AAPA Harbors, Navigation, and 

 Environmental Committee and also as Chairman of the Dredging 

 Task Force of the International Association of Ports and Harbors. 

 And in that capacity, I represent IAPH as a nonvoting member of 

 the London Convention of 1972 which is the international treaty 

 governing the ocean disposal of dredge material of which the 

 United States is a signatory. 



We are on the verge of a national dredging crisis because we 

 have not been able to dredge our nation's ports and harbors in a 

 timely and a cost-effective manner. It is time for the Federal Gov- 

 ernment to develop a comprehensive national dredge material 

 management and disposal policy that will enable us to break the 

 gridlock that many of our nation's ports currently face when they 

 attempt to dredge the harbor. Toward that end, AAPA will soon be 

 finalizing a proposed policy, and we look forward to the opportuni- 

 ty of working with this committee, with Congress, and the Admin- 

 istration to address many of these very difficult issues. 



In my oral testimony today, I want to make four points. First, 

 the failure to dredge sediments from navigation channels and port 

 areas not only impedes commerce but it also results in navigation 

 safety and environmental hazards. Second, the vast majority of ma- 

 terial dredged from navigation channels is not contaminated and 

 can be safely disposed of in an ocean environment. Third, we do 

 not need more laws. Current regulation of ocean dumping is ade- 

 quate in our judgment to protect the environment. What we do 

 need is Federal leadership and better and more coordinated imple- 

 mentation so that permits can be issued in a timely and in a re- 

 sponsible fashion. Fourth and finally, it is absolutely essential that 

 the ocean dumping of dredge material remain a viable disposal 

 option. All disposal options should be considered with the decision 

 based on environmental, public health, and economic consider- 

 ations. 



In your invitation to today's hearing, you asked AAPA to com- 

 ment on the ocean disposal of contaminated sediments. The extent 

 of the problem of contaminated sediments depends ultimately on 

 the definition of contaminated. In other words, what level of con- 

 centration triggers an environmental consequence? As some of the 

 previous witnesses have indicated, EPA has the authority to estab- 

 lish criteria to ensure safe disposal of dredge material. Recent 

 amendments to the Ocean Dumping Testing Manual, which is com- 

 monly referred to as the Green Book, have resulted in tougher test- 

 ing and test results of dredge material. 



