451 



(burden has been met in detennining whetbier, and on what conditions, a permit 

 will be issued. 



It is the applicant, however, who must provide all the necessary information, 

 upon which the Administrator makes his determination. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Now, at page 6 you mention that the Administrator 

 will be permitted to impose restrictions, and a little later you say he 

 would be authorized to deny the issuance of a permit, and then at the 

 last paragraph, he would be authorized to require applicants with per- 

 mits to provide information. And then, on down, you say he would be 

 authorized to prescribe reporting requirements. 



I wonder if we ought not simply require you to do that, Mr. Kuckels- 

 haus. Do you have any feelings on that matter ? 



Mr. KucKELSHAus. I think the whole question involved is a question 

 as to whether it is better to permit Administrator flexibility in the ad- 

 ministration of a statute of this nature, or to put more mandatory 

 language in from the legislative branch, and the one reason I think we 

 have opted for the more flexible administrative approach in this statute 

 is that there are so many unknowables in the area of ocean dumping. 



While we may feel today that one particular kind of activity is ter- 

 ribly harmful to the environment, further research may show us this 

 is the most beneficial we could be doing. 



And to attempt to lock too many specifics into the statute in an area 

 where there are so many unknowns may have some hazards. 



AVliere we are dealing with specific problems that everybody agrees 

 are known in terms of, for instance, high degree of radioactive waste, 

 I see no reason not to get more specific in the statute, but I also can see 

 in trying to implement this kind of statute, in reading the report of 

 the Council on Environmental Quality, that there are a number of 

 areas that we simply don't have the knowledge we should have, and for 

 that reason there is a need for flexibility. 



Mr. DiNGELL. You are coming to a matter that is of considerable 

 concern. 



H.E. 6332, which is authored by Mr. Rogers and the present occu- 

 pant of the Chair, and a number of our colleagues, generally sets out 

 a research program at a level of $1 million per year. You and every 

 other witness have indicated the great plausibility of knowledge, and 

 great need for research. 



I am satisfied that you are carrying out research down there at your 

 agency, but I am troubled, since we really do not have any program 

 which has been here in a unified form, which the Congress may scruti- 

 nize and understand precisely what you folks in the administration 

 propose to do in this area, and I am wondering, would it be possible 

 for you to list for this committee the research requirements which you 

 would need to conduct a good research program in this area, so that 

 we could have before us, when we go into this statute, a very clear 

 understanding of what you are doing, and how it conforms with the 

 requirement of law to carry out a carefully thought out and integrated 

 program of research ? 



Mr. RucKELSHAus. ^Ye will certainly supply that to the committee. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Would you do that for us, please ? 



