157 



causing elements. If these elements enter or have entered the food 

 chain, we are faced with a serious hazard to public health. Studies 

 conducted by a group of scientists under the direction of the Smith- 

 sonian Institute substantiate these terrible conclusions. 



Unfortunately, the situation in the New York Bight is not an iso- 

 lated phenomenon. Commercial fisheries have collapsed all along the 

 Atlantic shore because of the deterioration of previously abundant 

 fishing grounds. There are some 49 dumps oft' the populous East 

 Coast and all of them pose a continuing threat to the health of 

 the Atlantic and to the livelihood of those who depend on it. If left 

 alone, things are only going to get v>'orse. As sa.nitai*y landfill sights 

 become more crowded and less practical, the ocean is fast becoming the 

 cheapest and most convenient garbage dump for many coastal cities. 



If our oceans are to remain a source of food, esthetic pleasure, and 

 sheer wonder for future generations, then we must stop treating them 

 like a gigantic open sewer. It is for this reason that I vigorously en- 

 dorse II.R. 2581, a bill introduced by my colleague from Massachusetts, 

 Mr. Harrington. This bill represents an important initial step toward 

 reducing ocean pollution. The proposal authorizes the Administrator 

 of the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Sec- 

 retary of the Interior and the Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, 

 to promulgate standards designed to protect the delicate marine 

 ecology of our coastal waters. It then requires any potential dumper 

 within a 12-mile limit of U.S. shores to demonstrate that such dump- 

 ing will not violate these standards. In short, this legislation puts the 

 burden where it should be — on the dumper — to show that the dumping 

 of his garbage is not detrimental to marine life. 



While H.R. 2581 is vital to the attack on ocean pollution, it will not 

 eliminate the problem. It unquestionably makes it more difficult for 

 polluters, but it does not preclude further pollution. Cities could 

 simply take their garbage past the 12-mile limit and dump it or they 

 may attempt to evade the law through nighttime or clandestine 

 dumpings. I personally favor an outright ban against ocean dumping. 

 The United States should prohibit American citizens or vessels from 

 dumping any deleterious matter into any ocean. Such a unilateral 

 declaration could prompt other nations to follow suit. The Interna- 

 tional Oceanographic Commission established by UNESCO in 1961 

 is a prime example of international cooperation to stop the contamina- 

 tion of international waters. The organization is now sponsoring a 

 program of research on the Mediterranean Sea, involving some 20 

 nations including the U.S.S.R., Israel, Syria, and the United States. 

 The mutual cooperation of these normally antagonistic nations demon- 

 strates the pragmatism of international policing of our seas. 



Ultimately, however, the problem is one of solid waste disposal. We 

 in America have developed a throwaway society of historic propor- 

 tions. With sheer arrogance boi'u of obsession with convenience, we 

 use things once and throw them away, not caring or realizing that all 

 that garbage piling up has to go somewhere — whether to an incinera- 

 tor, a landfill site, or some body of water. All three alternatives are un- 

 satisfactory. The final solution is recycling, and we must begin to 

 implement ways of reutilizing our resources before we are inundated 

 with our own waste. 



