51 
WHere We Have Been 
In THE LATE 60's AnD EARLY 70's, THE NATION AND THE CoNGRESS 
BECAME INCREASINGLY AWARE AND CONCERNED THAT THE QUALITY OF THE 
ENVIRONMENT WAS DETERIORATING- THERE WAS PARTICULAR CONCERN TO 
ADEQUATELY PROTECT THE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS, OF WHICH LITTLE WAS 
UNDERSTOOD- THE OCEAN WAS PERCEIVED TO BE FRAGILE AND BECAUSE OF ITS 
VAST SIZE AND MYSTERIOUS COMPLEXITY, THE OCEAN WAS GIVEN SPECIAL 
ATTENTION BY ConcRess- IN 1972, CoNGRESS PASSED THE CLEAN WATER AcT 
(CWA) AND THE MARINE PROTECTION, RESEARCH, AND SANCTUARIES AcT (MPRSA) - 
THEse AcTS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, SOUGHT TO REGULATE THE INDISCRIMI NANT 
DUMPING AND DISCHARGE OF MATERIALS INTO MARINE WATERS- BoTH AcTS 
ENCOURAGED THE REMOVAL OF WASTES FROM THE WATER, THEIR RECYCLE AND 
REUSE, AND ULTIMATE DISPOSAL OF SLUDGES ON LAND- IN 1977, ConGress 
AMENDED THE MPRSA- THE AMENDMENT PLACED A BAN ON DUMPING SEWAGE SLUDGE 
WHICH WOULD “UNREASONABLY DEGRADE” THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT- In 1980, 
THAT BAN WAS EXTENDED TO INDUSTRIAL WASTES, THE DUMPING OF WHICH WOULD 
"UNREASONABLY DEGRADE” THE OCEAN ENVIRONMENT: EPA, SHARING THIS 
CONCERN WITH CONGRESS, HAS WORKED HARD AT GETTING MUNICIPAL AND 
INDUSTRIAL DUMPERS WHOSE WASTES ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE OCEAN 
ENVIRONMENT OUT OF THE OCEAN: From 1973 To 1980, over 300 APPLICANTS 
OR PERMITTEES WERE EITHER DENIED PERMITS OR HAD PERMITS PHASED OUT OF 
THE OCEAN. 
