131 



is projected to increase even more in the next decade tlian domestic 

 goods movement. 



This will require not just new or improved port facilities designed 

 to handle container traffic, but it will also necessitate more airport air 

 cargo facilities, new or expanded railroad freight handling investment, 

 and additional airways. All of this means that transportation, just as 

 with virtually every other segment of our economic and social life, will 

 be imposing new demands on the scarce space that lies within the 

 coastal zone. 



Although I have stressed the breadth of transportation's involve- 

 ment in the zone, let me now give closer attention to several of the 

 Department's programs that bear directly, in an operational sense, on 

 the uses of the Nation's coastal areas. 



The Coast Guard has been engaged in the detecting and reporting of 

 violations of the Oil Pollution Act of 1924 since its enactment, and has 

 worked cooperatively with the Corps of Engineers in the enforcement 

 of the other applicable pollution statutes. 



Under the provisions of the national multiagency oil and hazardous 

 materials pollution contingency plan of September 1968, Coast Guard 

 forces are involved in surveillance activities and in most areas provide 

 on-scene commanders to carry out pollution control measures in the 

 case of spills of oil or other material. This activity is, of course, 

 nationwide. 



The availability of our communications network and rescue coordi- 

 nation centers on a 24-hour-a-day basis is a most important part of our 

 contribution. 



As you know, the House has passed H.R. 4148, which would repeal 

 the Oil Pollution Act of 1924 and substitute therefor a much more 

 comprehensive antipollution program. The Senate has also passed H.R. 

 4148 in an amended form. It appears likely, therefore, that we may 

 have by the end of this session of Congress a more effective law on the 

 books. 



The Coast Guard would play a very substantial role under that law 

 in regulating and enforcing control of sewage from vessels, policing 

 violations of oil discharge regulations, and directing cleanups of oil 

 spills or spills of other hazardous materials. 



Through the Coast Guard, the Department is also directly concerned 

 with the transportation of hazardous materials. These represent a po- 

 tential, not only for ecological injury, but for serious, even cataclysmic 

 damage to our ports and waterways. 



New commodities, the properties of which are not fully understood, 

 are being manufactured and shipped in increasing quantities. Bulk 

 carriage of these materials by water, particularly on the river systems 

 and the intracoastal waterways, is increasing. 



These hazardous materials in very large containers pass through 

 many of our highly populated communities with little or no awareness 

 on the part of the authorities of the potential risks involved. The Coast 

 Guard has undertaken to assure the containment of the cargo in the 

 vessel or barge and the container, even under adverse conditions, by 

 resnilation, inspection, and enforcement of standards. 



The Coast Guard has also established a pilot hazardous materials 

 advisory center in Houston whose functions include collecting informa- 

 tion concerning the known physical characteristics of these materials, 



