Public Law 92-500 consists of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

 Act Amendments of 1972. This act prohibits the discharge of 

 harmful quantities of oil and hazardous substances into or upon the 

 navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or 

 waters of the contiguous zones. Designation of hazardous 

 substances and determination of harmful quantities are the 

 responsibility of EPA. The act provides for pollution research and 

 monitoring and authorizes the regulation by the Environmental 

 Protection Agency (EPA) of all major industrial, municipal, and 

 other point discharges of pollutants into these waters and the 

 preparation of a national contingency plan for the removal of oil and 

 hazardous materials discharged into U.S. waters. The act also 

 directs the U.S. Coast Guard [USCG] to promulgate regulations im- 

 plementing standards of performance set by EPA for marine sanita- 

 tion devices. 



The purpose of P.L. 92-340, the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 

 1972, is to promote the safety of U.S. ports, harbors, waterfront 

 areas, and navigable waters and to protect them from pollution 

 resulting from vessel operation. Title I of the act authorizes USCG to 

 establish and operate vessel traffic systems and to investigate any 

 incident, accident, or act involving a vessel or structure that may 

 affect the safety or environmental quality of U.S. ports, harbors, or 

 navigable waters. Title II permits USCG to regulate the design, 

 construction, alteration, repair, maintenance, or operation of vessels 

 carrying bulk cargos that are characterized as hazardous polluting 

 substances under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act as well as 

 those that are flammable or combustible, such as petroleum. 



The primary purpose of P.L. 92-532, the Marine Protection, 

 Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, is to regulate the 

 transportation and dumping of all types of materials into ocean 

 waters. Title I of the Act prohibits the transportation of radiological, 

 chemical, and biological agents or high-level radioactive wastes 

 from the United States for ocean disposal. The ocean dumping of all 

 other materials transported from the United States is strictly 

 regulated and requires a permit from EPA or the Corps of Engineers. 

 No ocean dumping of material from a source outside the United 

 States is permitted within 12 miles of the U.S. coast without a 

 permit. 



Title II requires the initiation of research and monitoring efforts on 

 the effects of ocean dumping and other pollution by the Secretary of 

 Commerce to be conducted by the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in cooperation with USCG, 

 EPA, and other appropriate agencies. 



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