401 



must be established and guidelines for permit evaluation must be developed 

 and promulgated. 



The headquarters staff will convene an advisory committee and set up a task 

 force of in -house personnel to develop the necessary criteria, regulations, and 

 guidelines. The work of this group should be closely coordinated with the setting 

 of water quality standards for the contiguous zone if such laws are enacted. An 

 approximate $100,000 is required for the operation of this advisory committee, 

 and $100,000 for the salaries of eight headquarters personnel for an average of 

 6 months during FY 1972. A total of 40 personnel will be placed in the eight EPA 

 coastal regions : Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, San Fran- 

 cisco, Seattle, and Chicago. The tasks of these ijersonnel Avill be to : coordinate 

 input from all EPA oflBces ; develop working relationships -n-ith all Federal and 

 State agencies concerned ; receive and review applications for permits ; issue per- 

 mits where applications fall within established criteria or send to the head- 

 quarters control group those applications having unusual problems that cannot 

 be resolved locally ; coordinate permit information with the enforcement and 

 surveillance a,gency (Coast Guard) ; establish a time schedule with other exist- 

 ing or proposed regulations ; coordinate and select suitable interim disposal sites 

 with NOAA and the fisheries agencies ; and coordinate with State and Federal 

 agencies selection of alternative methods of disposal. Approximately $300,000 

 will be required for salaries of regional personnel during FY 1972. 



Fiscal year 1913: Positions : 48 ; Budget : $500,000 



During this fiscal year, the permit regulations and guidelines will be re- 

 evaluated in terms of actual practice and a stronger set of criteria will be devel- 

 oped to discourage ocean disposal except of the most innocuous materials. It is 

 anticipated that during this fiscal year, the initial results of research and tech- 

 nical studies will become available and consideration can be given to the elimina- 

 tion of some ocean disposal areas and relocation of others. 



Fiscal year 197J,: Positions : 48 ; Budget : $500,000 



During this fiscal year, a solid environmental data base on the impact of 

 ocean dumping on the environment should begin being available and the thrust 

 of the ocean disposal permit program will be toward the elimination of ocean 

 disposal where possible and the relocation of dumping grounds to areas of small 

 ecological significance. 



Fiscal year 1975: Positions : 35 ; Budget : $300,000 



By fiscal year 1975, research and technological development should have ad- 

 vanced to the ix)int where ocean dumping as a disposal technique can begin to 

 be phased out. The reduced staff allocation to this part of the program during 

 this year assumes this condition. 



Fiscal years 1976 and 1977: Positions : 24 ; Budget : .$200,000 



By this time, ocean disposal should be eliminated except for demonstratively 

 innocuous materials and the criteria and guidelines should be developed to the 

 point where only the most routine permit granting efforts are required. It is ex- 

 l>ected that a regional staff of twenty people will be maintained in this part of the 

 program with a supervisory staff of four in headquarters. 



OCEAN DISPOSAL RESEARCH 



Fiscal year 1972: Positions: 11: Total Budget: $1,100,000; Contracts: $1,000,000 

 During this fiscal year, a major effort will be initiated to evaluate the impact 

 of ocean disposal on the marine environment and alternative methods of dis- 

 posal of material presently being dumped. A combination of 11 new personnel 

 and $100,000 for their salaries during fiscal year 1972 and grants, contracts. 

 and interagency agreements totaling $1,000,000 in fiscal year 1972 will be 

 required. Much of the work will be integrated into technical studies, monitor- 

 ing, and baseline studies for surveillance : the bulk of this work will be done 

 in cooperation with the Coast Gnard. NOAA, the Corps of Engineers, and 

 various fisheries agencies. Specific research projects to be initiated during this 

 fiscal year are : 



(1) Alternative :\Iethods of Disposal— $400,000. 



(2) Environmental Impact Studies— $800,000. 



(3) Beneficial Use of Wastes in the INIarine Environment— $300,000. 

 Fiscal year 1973: Positions: 22; Total Budget: $1,500,000; Contracts: $1,100,000 



