its shores. Such activities include the review of applications for 

 permits and licenses to discharge or undertake engineering activities 

 that could pollute or otherwise damage the environment and the 

 collection of basic data that can be applied to the determination of 

 the nature and fate of pollutants in coastal environments. 



The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is studying the 

 consequences of further development of oil reserves on the 

 continental shelf. NOAA through its Environmental Data Service 

 has provided the study with historical information on the severity 

 and frequency of natural phenomena that may lead to the loss of oil 

 through damage to operational equipment. In addition, the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service has provided information on the affects of 

 development, construction, operations, and oil spills on living 

 marine resources. 



In 1973, CEQ, in cooperation with the Maritime Administration, 

 NOAA, USCG, EPA, and the Corps of Engineers, completed studies 

 on the environmental, economic, and technical factors regarding the 

 logistics of supertankers in our ports, harbors, and coastal 

 waterways. This CEQ Superport Study evaluated the environmental 

 effects of various deepwater terminal locations for supertankers. 



The Ports and Waterways Safety Act gives USCG new authority 

 with respect to incidents involving vessels or structures that may 

 affect marine environmental quality. This act also requires USCG to 

 begin as soon as possible the publication of proposed rules and 

 regulations setting forth minimum standards of design, 

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

 for the purpose of protecting the marine environment. These 

 regulations are to go into effect no later than January 1, 1976. It is 

 hoped that by then an international agreement will have been 

 concluded under which action by participating nations can be 

 coordinated. 



In the meantime, however, USCG has begun to prepare rules and 

 regulations that include, but are not limited to, standards to improve 

 vessel maneuvering and stopping ability and otherwise reduce the 

 possibility of collision, grounding, or other accident; and reduce 

 damage to the marine environment from normal vessel operation, 

 such as ballasting and deballasting, cargo handling, and other 

 activities. 



Other USCG projects aimed at the prevention of pollution include 

 operational risk analysis, cargo hazard assessments, and the 

 expansion of its Pollution Incident Reporting System (PIRS). USCG 

 is cooperating with the U.S. Navy in a joint project to develop and 

 test ship and equipment designs to prevent pollution of navigable 

 waters from ship operations. These include the development of high 

 capacity oil and water separators and the use of impermeable, 



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