149 



Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, on behalf of the 

 people of my district and my State, I wish to say that I know you 

 share our concern for protection of our environment and our great 

 natural resources. We cannot delay too long in moving to protect our 

 estuarine areas, and I believe our bill, H.R. 285, provides a solid basis 

 for remedy of tliis difficult and complex problem. I commend you 

 highly for your prompt consideration of legislation to control this 

 problem. 



Mr. Lennon. Thank you for an excellent statement, Mr. Casey. 



Our next witness will be the gentleman from Connecticut, our 

 colleague Bob Giaimo. 



STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT N. GIAIMO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

 CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT 



Mr. GiAiMO. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am 

 pleased to offer my support for legislation designed to curtail un- 

 regulated discharge of industrial waste into coastal waters, oceans, and 

 related bodies of water. In particular, my testimony is in support of 

 H.R. 807, of which I am a cosponsor. 



The time has long passed when America believed that large bodies 

 of water and large masses of air could absorb the byproducts and 

 aftereffects of industry and remain unaffected, or that the many and 

 complex forms of life living in oceans, bays, harbors, and marshes 

 could survive our assaults on their environment. 



Certain of our industries are indiscriminately turning coastal wa- 

 ters in particular into repositories for toxic materials, and all indus- 

 tries must belatedly concern themselves with the unintended but 

 devastating consequences of their prosperity. 



The coastal waters of Connecticut, and in particular the shellfish 

 and fishing industries dependent on those waters, have suffered con- 

 siderable long-term damage from unregulated dumping of waste, and 

 the economic consequences have spelled disaster for the men who work 

 those waters. 



While the Marine Science Council has estimated that 8 percent of 

 all shellfish that could potentially be harvested are unsafe now for 

 human consumption, that figure in Connecticut is surely much higher 

 since major harbors and shoreline areas, for example New Haven 

 Harbor, no longer can yield edible shellfish. 



H.R. 807 is a measure with several features of particular importance 

 in regulating this coastal carnage. For example, by placing the bur- 

 den of proof — not absolute proof, of course, but a "preponderance of 

 evidence" proof — on those seeking permits to dump wastes, that such 

 wastes will meet standards to be set by the Environmental Protection 

 Agency, industry will have to take a larger role in protecting oceanic 

 environments. 



In addition, provision for stronger State regulations, which would 

 supersede Federal regulations if States could also demonstrate enforce- 

 ment capacity, would allow those areas particularly damaged by waste 

 discharge additional protection from stricter State standards. 



Finally, the standards adopted by the EPA under this measure 

 would supersede standards promulgated by any other agency of the 



