Chapter II 



PROTECTING AND ENHANCING THE 

 MARINE ENVIRONMENT 



Few issues have caught the national eye more powerfully in recent years 

 than those of man and environment, and few issues have been brought 

 to operating programs more swiftly by the Executive and the Congress. The 

 necessity for the United States to achieve and enforce some kind of balance 

 between taking and giving in the marine environment and coastal zone 

 and to end destructive practices there has become a major force in the 

 Federal Ocean Program. 



Solutions to this set of difficult problems once seemed more straight- 

 forward than they appear today. For example, it is understood now that 

 some types of environmental damage, once thought profound and perma- 

 nent, are reversible, while other seemingly superficial changes produce last- 

 ing damage; much of the heavy impact of domestic and industrial wastes 

 appears to be reversible through proper abatement programs, but a dredge- 

 and-fiU operation may cause permanent damage by substituting a new 

 physical environment for what was there before. Consequently, the Federal 

 Ocean Program has strengthened its efforts to define the severity and per- 

 manence of various chemical, physical, and biological alterations that de- 

 grade the marine environment and coastal lands. The program also seeks 

 to comprehend and treat the marine environmental damage caused by 

 natural forces — natural mass mortalities of fish and shellfish, blockage of 

 estuaries by maritime storms, and drought-caused changes in estuaries and 

 coastal currents. 



The Federal approach to use and conservation of the marine environment 

 takes many forms. In some cases, it builds upon locally supported programs 

 and activities and supports research in universities, State agencies, and 

 private industry. As a result of the President's Executive Order Number 

 11507 of 1970, pollution abatement programs at Federal installations are 

 being aggressively pursued. Federal aid to municipalities helps them im- 

 prove effluent treatment facilities, and Federal grants are made to develop 

 local and regional marine management capabilities. The Congress con- 

 tinues its substantial interest in marine environmental problems. Both Con- 

 gress and the Administration have taken initiatives in proposing legislation 



"We should strive for an environment that not only sustains life but enriches life, 

 harmonizing the works of man and nature for the greater good of all."- — • 

 Richard Nixon. 



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