114 



Mr. Studds. What is the timetable at the moment for the deploy- 

 ment of the remaining eight sites? 



Captain Corbett. Over a 3-year period, 1984 is the last year in 

 which the sites will be fully operational. We will have some equip- 

 ment at each one of the sites as time goes by, but it will take about 

 3 years to get the thing fully in place. 



Mr. Studds. No wonder Presidents are frustrated. Even if this 

 President — without comment — were to be reelected, a directive 

 which he issued in the first year of his first term will not be 

 completely fulfilled in the year in which he leaves office at the end 

 of his second term, that is incredible. Maybe you are not prepared 

 to answer this, but has the Congress been stingy, or 0MB, or what 

 happened? When a President gives a directive — announces with 

 great fanfare to the Nation that we are going to have eight sites, 

 how come we now say that maybe 7 or 8 years after that directive 

 we can get to the eight sites. It is not a very big item in terms of 

 overall dollars. 



Captain Corbett. You are right, I would not be prepared to 

 respond to that. 



Mr. Studds. Yes. That is an awkward fall for all of us, is it not? 



Am I correct in my understanding that Clean Atlantic Asso- 

 ciates, which is an industry group, has already positioned cleanup 

 equipment in Davisville, R.I.? 



Captain Corbett. I understand that, but I do not have that on 

 good authority. 



Mr. Studds. That has not been reported to you yet? 



Captain Corbett. Frankly it would not be reported to me, it 

 would be reported to our predesignated on-scene coordinator in 

 Boston. He will make these decisions. 



Mr. Studds. Admiral Hayes in testimony earlier this year before 

 the Coast Guard Subcommittee of this committee, Chairman Biaggi 

 pointed out: 



The most significant reduction in any particular category of the Coast Guard's 

 fiscal 1981 budget request was made at the OST level. In the operating expense 

 category of maritime environmental protection in the amount of $23 million. What 

 does this significant budget reduction represent? Will it hamper the Coast Guard's 

 ability to adequately respond to spills of oil or hazardous substances? 



Admiral Hayes' answer was — 



It will not permit us significantly to improve our ability to respond to oil spills. It 

 will also require that we redirect our efforts away from other areas of marine 

 environmental protection when necessary to cope with the increasing demand cre- 

 ated by hazardous chemical emergencies, particularly abandoned hazardous waste 

 sites. 



Has it indeed been necessary to redirect efforts and resources 

 away from the areas we have been talking about? 



Captain Corbett. I think in the area of hazardous wastes and 

 chemicals as Admiral Hayes pointed out we would like to be able 

 to train ourselves better to more adequately respond to those inci- 

 dents I would agree. 



Mr. Studds. But my question was. In order to do that, have we 

 had to redirect efforts and resources away from the kinds of prob- 

 lems we have been talking about this morning? 



Captain Corbett. Not significantly, but to some level, yes. 



Mr. Studds. How significantly? 



