w 



ulation of ocean dumping. They have long been established as the Fed- 

 eral maritime law enforcement agency. Their officers and men are 

 trained and experienced in matters of law enforcement just as they are 

 trained and experienced in seamanship. The Coast Guard provides the 

 bulk of the Federal force for enforcement of the Refuse Act and the 

 various other oil pollution laws. They also have a long history of in- 

 volvement with the marine community in such areas as the handling 

 of dangerous cargo and the issuance of permits for various regulated 

 marine activities. In addition, they have the facilities to carry out 

 these functions, and with little augmentation, can utilize these same 

 facilities to undertake a program of ocean dumping regulation. 



Appendix A outlines in detail the Coast Guard units availa^ble for 

 ocean dumping regulatory activity. I would only say here that they 

 cover the east, west and gulf coasts of the continental United States, 

 as well as Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and, 

 of course, the Great Lakes. 



The Coast Guard can aid the Environmental Protection Agency in 

 the issuance of permits, and I have listed in appendix A the locations 

 of the already-established Coast Guard captains of the port and mar- 

 ine inspection offices. I wish to emphasize that these offices are well 

 known to all members of the marine industry and are presently in- 

 volved in many tasks closely related to ocean waste disposal regulation. 

 Captains of the port are responsible for the inspection of port struc- 

 tures housing hazardous materials and for the supervision of explo- 

 sives loading. Marine inspectors are responsible for the inspection and 

 certification of merchant vessels. These two types of facilities repre- 

 sent, if the Environmental Protection Agency choose to utilize them, 

 an already available administrative force. 



In addition, our experience and the data we have collected, in the 

 regulation of hazardous material transport, would be readily available 

 to assist the Environmental Protection Agency in making the neces- 

 sary determinations as to whether or not particular substance should 

 be disposed of at sea. The Coast Guard also collects oceanographic 

 data in support of other missions which, while presently limited in 

 scope, could be utilized in baseline determination. 



Captains of the port and port safety officers have small boats, rang- 

 ing from 31 to 44 feet, at their disposal for a variety of tasks including 

 the supervision of loading of material to be dumped at sea and other 

 calm water surveillance and monitoring. Eighty-two and 95-foot 

 patrol boats are also available for the same tasks. Medium and high 

 endurance cutters can be utilized too, and these vessels are capable of 

 long-range operations of extended duration. Finally, Coast Guard heli- 

 copters and fixed wing aircraft can respond in less than 1 hour for 

 surveillance and other duties. 



If requested, we could also aid the Environmental Protection 

 Agency in oceanographic monitoring of dump sites and adjacent 

 waters. The Coast Guard has, for several years, been a major par- 

 ticipant in the U.S. oceanography program. This participation takes 

 the form of daily observations from lightships and offshore light 

 stations as well as from a variety of ships. Seasonal oceanographic 

 cruises are also carried out in specially equipjoed vessels. In addition, 

 the Coast Guard Office of Research and Development and the Office 



