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STATEMENT OF WILLIAM D. RUCKELSHAUS, ADMINISTRATOR, 

 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, ACCOMPANIED BY 

 DAVID DOMINICK, ACTING COMMISSIONER OF THE WATER 

 QUALITY OFFICE, EPA 



Mr. RucKELSHAus. Thank you, Mr. Chainiian. 



I have with me today Mr. DaA^d Dominick, Acting Commissioner 

 of Water Quality Office of EPA, who will participate in the answering 

 of any questions that the committee or chairman may have. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Mr. Dominick, we are happy to welcome you. 



You may proceed, sir. 



Mr. RucKELSHAus. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, 

 I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you today to discuss the Ad- 

 ministration's proposal for the control of ocean dumping entitled, 

 '/The Marine Protection Act of 1971." This bill, H.R. 4723, has been 

 introduced in recognition of the critical need for a national ocean 

 dumping policy. 



Our proposal is the product 0"f an intensive and comprehensive study 

 of the problems of ocean dumping. That study and the recommenda- 

 tions for a strong policy of preventive and remedial measures were re- 

 ported to the Congress in the Report on Ocean Dumping prepared by 

 the Council on Environmental Quality. I understand that Chairman 

 Train has discussed the study and recommendations with you. 



I believe we are all in agreement as to the need for a strong bill to 

 control ocean dumping. We endeavored in the drafting of our proposal 

 to translate the recommendations of the Ocean Dumping Report into 

 law. Our purpose here is to recommend to the committee and to the 

 Congress the creation of the farthest reaching and strongest authority 

 that law and technology will allow. 



iMembers of this committee and other members of Congress have 

 introduced bills which in many cases are similar to our own proposal. 

 Other proposals take somewhat different approaches. 



Mr. Chairman, we wish to work with you and the committee to de- 

 velop the most effective legislation possible. 



Our proposal, H.R. 4723, would invest regulatory authority over 

 ocean dumping in the Administrator of EPA. As that Administrator, 

 I propose to administer H.R. 4723, if it is enacted, in a way that will 

 fully implement the recommendation of the Council on Environmental 

 Quality as set forth hi its Ocean Dumping Report. 



I would like to describe briefly the principal provisions of our bill 

 and our thinking about it. 



The purpose of H.R. 4723 is to regulate the dumping of all types 

 of material in the oceans, estuaries, and the Great Lakes, and to prevent 

 or strictly control the dumping into such waters of any material which 

 could adversely affect human health or welfare or the marine environ- 

 ment. These objectives would be carried out by means of a permit 

 system established and administered by the EPA. 



An important feature of the bill is that it would require a permit for 

 two different kinds of activity. In the first place, persons desiring to 

 transport materials from this country for dumping into ocean or 

 coastal wa,ters, anjnvhere, whether or not within our territorial juris- 

 diction, would be required to obtain a permit. 



