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the Port of New York there is simply no area which has the 
capacity to receive 10 million cubic yards of dredged material 
each year. Unless we dredge those 10 million cubic yards, the 
harbor will begin to silt up and pose an even greater environ- 
mental danger. Vessels which cannot safely navigate port 
channels and waterways present a great risk for collisions 
and groundings. An oil or chemical spill resulting from such 
an accident would cause serious damage to the environment — 
damage which could not be mitigated or reversed. 
In short, the wealth of scientific evidence presented to 
date supports the continued use of the Mud Dump Site as part of 
an integrated management plan for waste disposal of dredged 
materials for the New York Harbor. 
In underscoring these findings, and pointing out the 
environmental dangers associated with non-ocean disposal options 
in the New York area, I do not suggest in any way that I youd 
have the ocean become the ultimate “dumping ground" for our 
society's wastes. Rather, I mean to suggest to the Committee 
the enormous complexities and stakes involved in disposing of 
our wastes given the options available to us. 
I recognize the importance of attempting to minimize the 
production of such materials, and of limiting the contaminants 
present in them as much as possible. At the same time, 
decisions about waste disposal must proceed in a scientific 
