(ART) program flights off the U.S. coasts, which, in addition to pro- 

 viding sea-surface temperature data, also provide data about marine 

 life, thermal pollution, and foreign fishing activities. The ART pro- 

 gram off the Pacific Coast will terminate in 1979. It is, in cooper- 

 ation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, (NMFS) responsible 

 for enforcing the 200-mile extended jurisdiction established by the 

 Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (FEMA). The clean- 

 up of hazardous substances, including oil, polluting U.S. navigable 

 waters is another major responsibility. It developed a Pollution 

 Incident Reporting System (PIRS), maintains a National Response 

 Center (NRC) to receive reports of discharges and coordinate Federal 

 response activities as they are needed, and maintains a National 

 Strike Force (NSF) to be called to scenes of disaster to provide 

 expertise and emergency equipment. It developed an Air-Borne Oil 

 Surveillance System (AOSS) being installed on medium-range search 

 aircraft to provide all-weather day and night detection of oil 

 spills and an AirDelivered Anti-Pollution Transfer System (ADAPTS) 

 to recover oil spills. It also monitors ocean dumping and recently 

 developed an Ocean Dumping Surveillance System (ODSS). 



usee operated the Ice Navigation Center (INC) and a Central Oil 

 Identification Laboratory (COIL). COIL was developed in 1978 to 

 serve as the lead group within a national network of Field Oil Iden- 

 tification Laboratories (FOIL) to be located throughout the United 

 States to identify spills by a chemical analysis of spill samples 

 and to recommend appropriate cleanup measures. 



The Deepwater Ports Act (DWPA) of 1974 gave DOT responsibility 

 for all deepwater ports (DWP) that may be licensed, constructed, and 

 operated on the high seas to transfer oil from tankers to shore sites. 

 DOT in turn delegated to USCG most of the responsibilities for DWPs. 



USCG operates a Marine Reporting Station Program (MARS) consisting 

 of a network of about 200 coastal and offshore manned stations, most 

 of which are operated by volunteers who make observations of weather, 

 visibility, and wind and sea conditions. The data are forwarded to 

 the National Weather Service (NWS). USCG is also responsible for the 

 establishment and maintenance of aids-to-navigation in U.S. waters. 

 Recently it developed a marine Safety Information System (MSIS), 

 which, with the help of Lloyds of London, includes data on over 

 60,000 merchant ships as well as other analytical and statistical 

 information. Its Auxiliary (USCGAUX) , a volunteer organization of 

 private boaters assists the National Ocean Survey (NOS) by providing 

 information for updating its nautical charts. 



Independent Agencies 



413. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: EPA 



Established in 1970, EPA protects and improves our environment 

 today and for future generations. Its mission is to control and abate 

 pollution in the areas of air, water, solid waste, pesticides, noise, 

 and radiation. Upon its establishment, it succeeded to the functions 

 of the Federal Water Quality Administration (FWQA) in the Department 

 of the Interior, which in turn had succeeded to the functions of the 

 Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA) established 

 in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1965. 



Major responsibilities for protection of water quality rests with 

 EPA whose laboratories collect data from marine waters to establish a 

 data base for water quality criteria. EPA reviews other ongoing mon- 

 itoring programs for its National Water Quality Surveillance System 

 (NWQSS). 



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