Chapter II 



POLLUTION ABATEMENT AND CONTROL 



Over 14,000 reported discharges into U.S. waters involving 

 millions of gallons of oil and hazardous polluting substances occur 

 annually. These discharges are the result of accidents, malfunctions 

 of equipment, and human error. They include the deliberate 

 discharges of bilge or ballast water and convenience dumping of 

 hazardous materials and oil. The hazardous cumulative effects of 

 these discharges are now universally recognized. As a result, the 

 complex problem of marine pollution is being attacked on both the 

 international and national level. 



In October of 1973, The Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative 

 Organization convened an International Conference on Marine 

 Pollution. The United States and some 70 other nations attending 

 this conference, in addition to agreeing on a protocol extending the 

 1969 Intervention Convention to maritime casualties involving 

 hazardous substances other than oil, negotiated a new International 

 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. 



The new Convention contains regulations for the control of 

 pollution by oil; by noxious liquid substances other than oil carried 

 in bulk; by harmful substances in packages, containers, or 

 independent tanks; and by sewage and garbage. The regulations for 

 the prevention of oil pollution contain both vessel construction 

 standards, including mandatory segregated ballast provisions for 

 new tankers of 70,000 tons deadweight or greater, and stringent 

 requirements for the control of operational discharges of oil. The 

 regulations for the control of discharges of noxious chemicals and 

 other substances constitute a major advancement in international 

 law for the control of maritime pollution on a global scale. 



On the national level, three recent legislative acts, Public Law 

 (P.L.) 92-500, P.L. 92-340, and P.L. 92-532, have provided a new 

 impetus to the pollution prevention, detection, and response efforts 

 of Federal agencies involved in environmental quality programs. 



New York City garbage being towed to seat rom the East River, 1973 EPA Photo 



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