227 



It is for these reasons, Mr. Chairman, that I suggest the committee 

 report out H.R. 805 as a substitute for H.R. 4723. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Thank you for a fine statement, Congressman. 



We will now hear from our colleague from New York, Hon. Lester 

 Wolff. 



STATEMENT OP HON. LESTER L. WOLFE, A EEPRESENTATIVE IN 

 CONGRESS PROM THE STATE OE NEW YORK 



Mr. Wolff. I very much appreciate this opportunity to express my 

 strong support for legislation to control ocean clumping. I am a co- 

 sponsor of two of the bills under consideration by the subcommittee — 

 H.R. 808, to provide for the orderly regulation of dumping in the 

 ocean, coastal, and other waters of the United States ; and H.R. 4359, 

 to regulate dumping of waste materials and authorize the establish- 

 ment of a system of marine sanctuaries. 



For several years, I have been deeplj^ involved in the fight to restore 

 and protect Long Island Sound, which is used for recreational pur- 

 poses by residents of New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. 

 Eleven million residents of those States live within 15 miles of the 

 sound. Unfortunately, however, the sound's waters are becoming less 

 and less appealing for recreational activities. 



One of the chief causative factors in the sound's rapid deterioration 

 has been man's dumping of his wastes — sewage, sludge, or, worse yet, 

 untreated sewage; dredge spoils; industrial wastes. Strong Federal 

 legislation to control such dumping is urgently needed if we are to 

 prevent further destruction of the sound and other bodies of water, 

 and eventually reclaim and preserve them. 



Both of the bills I have cosponsored would help halt indiscriminate 

 dumping of man's waste products in our coastal waters. H.R. 808, of 

 which Congressman Harrington is the chief sponsor, would place the 

 burden of proof on the person who wishes to dump to demonstrate that 

 the waste materials would not endanger the natural environment and 

 ecology of the area in which he plans to dump. The Administrator of 

 the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the In- 

 terior would be authorized to establish standards to govern ocean 

 dumping — standards to insure that no damage to the natural environ- 

 ment and ecology of the ocean, coastal, and other waters of the United 

 States would result from any discharge or dumping activity. Failure 

 to comply with the established standards would result in a fine of 

 $5,000 to $10,000. 



H.R. 4359, of which Congressman Frey is the principal sponsor, 

 carries these principles a step further hj authorizing the Secretary of 

 Commerce to designate as marine sanctuaries those areas of the 

 Nation's tidelands which should be protected for their recrea,tion, con- 

 servation, ecologic, or esthetic values. These marine sanctuaries, which" 

 would be analogous to the wilderness areas in our national parks sys- 

 tem, would be out of bounds for mining activities, industrial develop- 

 ment, and clumping or disposal of waste material. 



_ In addition, H.R. 4359 would proliibit the dumping of waste mate- 

 rial into the oceans, coastal waters, and estuarine areas, except under 

 a permit issued by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

 Agency after he determines the dumping will not damage the ecology 



