We are woefully ignorant about the effects of many contami- 

 nants which permeate the sediments of harbors and bays around 

 the country. A legacy of past industrial indiscretions and the need 

 to dredge and keep our ports open to seafaring commerce will in- 

 volve future battles over a potpourri of poisons. This is merely a 

 trial balloon of what is to come. 



The amount of contaminated dredge spoils requiring specific dis- 

 posal is small in comparison to total volume of dredged material — 3 

 to 12 million cubic yards out of a total of approximately 400 million 

 cubic yards to be more exact. Nevertheless, the process for manag- 

 ing contaminated dredge spoils is ad hoc and inefficient. Although 

 the environmental community, the Port Authority, the New Jersey 

 DEPE, and the academic community have all tried very hard to 

 work together, the process has clearly failed. 



After three years of expending a great deal of resources and 

 time, the Port Authority is embattled in controversy. Ships are 

 scraping bottom. Insurance companies are threatening to cancel in- 

 surance. And the port's second largest customer has now named 

 Halifax, Canada, as its new deep-water port on the East Coast, and 

 still our questions go unanswered. 



On the other side, the environmental community and businesses 

 who depend on the availability and health of marine life resources 

 have been left out of the public debate. Critical decisions regarding 

 acceptability standards for dioxin have been made without the ben- 

 efit of scientific peer review. And important documents for public 

 comment have required a Freedom of Information Act request — not 

 necessarily friendly to concerned citizens wanting to participate in 

 the process. 



For a number of years, the Environmental Protection Agency 

 has had the responsibility of promulgating national standards for 

 contaminated sediments. Due to lack of funding and resources or 

 for other reasons, this has not been given the priority attention it 

 deserves. In addition, the Corps has been involved with researching 

 alternative disposal methods — another area lacking the priority at- 

 tention demanded by 3 to 12 million cubic yards of contaminated 

 dredge material per year. 



As the issue of contaminated sediments and their disposal looms 

 on the horizon, it is incumbent upon the committee to ensure that 

 adequate funding as well as deadlines and an effective process are 

 provided. It is imperative that we stop the cycle from merely shift- 

 ing our unwanted pollution from one environment to another, par- 

 ticularly the out-of-sight, out-of-mind option offered by ocean dis- 

 posal. It may be cheap at the onset, but the economies dependent 

 on commercial, recreation, fishing, and tourism comprise one of the 

 largest growing economic sectors of our country, particularly along 

 the New Jersey coast. Trust me, this is not a cheap alternative. 



I look forward to hearing from all of our witnesses today. I would 

 like to extend a special welcome to Richard Sinding of the New 

 Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy and 

 particularly to Dr. Fred Grassle of the Institute of Marine and 

 Coastal Services. I thank you both for being here. 



Mr. Chairman, I look forward to hearing the testimony this 

 morning, and, again, I want to express my appreciation to you for 

 the timely fashion in which you have called this hearing. 



