386 
EPA now has under active consideration a change in the New York dumping site 
from 12 miles to 106 miles. Suffolk is on record, and will testify at any hearings 
held by the EPA, that we support dumping at the new proposed 106 mile location, 
not at the current twelve-mile site in the apex. Dumping at the 106 mile site would 
cost New York City $18 million, as opposed to the current $3 million to dump at the 
twelve-mile site; it would cost Nassau County $3.7 million, as opposed to the 
$650,000 to dump at the twelve-mile site. I believe these additional costs are mini- 
mal, when compared to the potential economic loss to the tourism and fishing indus- 
tries in the region if dumping continues and expanded contamination of the ocean 
occurs in the New York Bight area. In a poll my office conducted last year, on con- 
tinued sludge dumping in the bight, the ten elected town supervisors in Suffolk 
County also indicated that they were opposed to continued dumping : 
It is my firm belief that continued dumping in the New York Bight will have a 
severe future impact upon Suffolk County. Dumping in this critical area will contin- 
ue to have adverse effects upon the marine environment and there is great potential 
for future economic reprecussions to Long Island. Therefore, I wish to urge that 
your two subcommittees proceed in a positive fashion on the proposed amendments. 
I do not want to come before you 3 years hence to tell you that the fishing industry 
on Long Island went the way of the Blue Point oyster. 
Mr. Breaux. We would like to welcome our first panel represent- 
ing the American Association of Port Authorities, Mr. J. Ron Brin- 
son, president of the association; Col. Herbert Haar, Associate Port 
Director, Port of New Orleans, accompanied by Joseph LeBlanc, 
counsel to the committee. 
We are pleased to have you as the first panel this morning and 
ate looking forward to receiving your testimony, particularly Mr. 
aar. 
Good to see you again this morning. 
Mr. Haar. Good to see you, Mr. Chairman. 
STATEMENT OF J. RON BRINSON, PRESIDENT, THE AMERICAN AS- 
SOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIES; HERBERT R. HAAR, JR., AS- 
SOCIATE PORT DIRECTOR, PORT OF NEW ORLEANS, CHAIR- 
MAN, SPECIAL DREDGING COMMITTEE, ENVIRONMENTAL 
PLANNING AND ENGINEERING TASK FORCE, THE AMERICAN 
ASSOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIES; JOSEPH E. LeBLANC, JR., 
MILLING, BENSON, WOODWARD, HILLYER, PIERSON & MILLER 
Mr. Brinson. I am Ron Brinson, president of the American Asso- 
ciation of Port Authorities. 
As you know, our association is a professional management and 
trade association comprising 135 public port agencies in the United 
States, Canada, and throughout Latin America. 
Virtually all public port agencies in the United States are mem- 
bers of AAPA. Our system of local or State ports is, for all practi- 
cal purposes, the national seaport system for the United States. We 
think it is important that our ports be perceived accordingly. 
I am here today with Herbert Haar, Associate Port Director, 
Port of New Orleans, who serves as chairman of our dredging com- 
mittee, and Joseph E. LeBlanc, Jr., counsel to the dredging commit- 
tee. 
The issues which are pertinent to the committees’ attention this 
morning, Mr. Chairman, have been very thorougly analyzed and 
evaluated in recent weeks by Mr. Haar’s committee. We are very 
pleased to have this opportunity to share our findings-and positions 
with this committee. 
Our association is deeply concerned about the problems created 
by the regulation of ocean dumping. Many of our coastal ports rely 
