15 



-2- 

 scientific understanding of the environment and advances in 



technology have already improved our environmental 

 management capabilities dramatically, and hold the promise 

 for significant additional improvements. As our under- 

 standing of the deep ocean environment increases, we may 

 find that deep ocean placement technology provides a disposal 

 option for some materials that will improve near-coastal water 

 quality, and avoid the need to develop additional land-based 

 disposal alternatives. 



I look forward to hearing from all the witnesses. 



DY:jrm 



