172 



Mr. Rogers. I understand tliey have not filed such a statement. 



Mr. Train. To my knowledge, no. 



Mr. Rogers. I tliink you are correct, we have also checked with EPA 

 and have not found that to be the fact. 



Also, I would just like to recall while we are going into this just 

 a minute the fact that when the Navy ordered the dumping into the 

 St. Johns River of the acids we went into the problem of who is 

 responsible, what happens. The Corps of Engineers under the law 

 is supposed to recommend an action by the Attorney General. Well, 

 they are afraid to do it against the Navy. We have talked to the 

 counsel over there; "Oh, we don't think we can do that." 



We said; "What about the individual who gives the command?"' 



"Well, there may be some authority there, we better let the Navy 

 doit." 



Now the Navy told us they were going to investigate. It has been 

 over 6 months and still no action taken against the person who gave 

 that order. Now if this continues, the perversion of what the President 

 has ordered has gone astray, the intent of the law is not being carried 

 out. We will never stop dumping unless we begin to center respon- 

 sibility and take some action or at least a reprimand, and I have not 

 even seen that done. I don't see as much point in us passing a lot of 

 laws if our own establishments are going to ignore the law and ignore 

 the intent of Presidential directives. 



Do you suppose we can get any action on that ? 



Mr. Train. Well, as I say, having this infonnation I will certainly 

 take it up with the Air Force right away. We are very mucli depend- 

 ent on the council on information to provide a basis for identifying 

 problems. 



Mr. Rogers. I understand. 



Mr. Train. As you understand, this kind of information is not gen- 

 erally volunteered to you by either a government agency or a private 

 source if that is what is involved. So it is helpful to us to have this 

 kind of information and we can certainly proceed to look into the mat- 

 ter and see what is going on. 



Mr. Rogers. Would you, and let us know ? 



Mr. Train. I certainly will. 



Mr, Rogers. I think it is very vital. 



Mr. Train. And I do. At the same time, with all of the continued 

 actions which are clearly inconsistent with the policy which the Presi- 

 dent has recommended, I do note that the Defense Department has 

 been moving to put its house into order. The Secretary has banned, as 

 you know, all dumping of chemical and biological warfare agents. 

 This has been completely stopped. Of course no biological warfare 

 agents have ever been dumped at sea, but chemical warfare agents, as 

 this committee well knows, were dumped and this has been now com- 

 pletely banned. There are no explosive dumpings presently underway. 

 There was one that was scheduled but that has been held up pending 

 an extensive Navy study of alternative methods of disposal. 



The Navy has also to my knowledge moved, I hope effectively since 

 the dumping of the oily wastes off the Florida coast some months back, 

 to prohibit any reoccurrence of that kind of action from any of its 

 other bases around the coastline. Now on the other hand, the kinds of 



