741 
We would recommend that the executive branch, the administra- 
tors, consider the range of costs of alternative disposal techniques, 
methodologies, and so on, on land disposal, ocean incineration and 
so on. 
Mr. D’Amours. So you would set fair market price by running a 
comparative analysis with land disposal, setting the cost to reflect 
alternative land disposal options? 
Mr. Osann. That is correct; setting the cost to reflect the value 
to the prospective dumper of the use of the dump site. 
Mr. D’Amours. So your cost in each case would be approximately 
what it would cost him to dump on land? 
Mr. OsANN. Land disposal may or may not be the most cost effec- 
tive alternative to ocean dumping in each case for each kind of ma- 
terial, but we suggest that the range of alternatives be considered, 
and be used for establishing the market value and, of course, you 
would have to consider as an offset to the market value of the 
ocean disposal site the transportation costs of getting to and from 
there. 
Mr. D’Amours. You were here when Mr. Borberg identified at 
lone one gap in EPA and NOAA research in the area of ocean dis- 
posal. 
You indicated in your testimony just now, I think, that you 
really didn’t see anything that might be gained by the establish- 
ment of the commission that we referred to. 
Mr. Osann. That is correct. 
Mr. D’Amours. Do you disagree with Mr. Borberg that there are 
any gaps in NOAA and EPA performance? 
Mr. OsANN. Performance is one thing, and authority is another, 
and I am not aware of gaps in the authority of the agencies to per- 
form the necessary research in the area of ocean dumping. 
Mr. D’Amours. But the question was phrased in terms of per- 
formance. Are there any gaps in terms of performance? 
Mr. Osann. I would prefer to respond to that for the record, Mr. 
Chairman. I cannot give you specific instances. 
[The information follows:] 
Gaps IN FEDERAL PERFORMANCE OF OCEAN DUMPING RESEARCH 
Federal research on the fate and effects of ocean dumping of contaminated mate- 
rials has yet to adequately address a number of significant areas. NOAA and EPA 
proposals to meet some of the existing research needs are currently being analyzed 
in the federal government’s FY 83 budget exercise. Some of the most pressing re- 
search needs are listed below: 
(1) Overall Research Emphasis: Due largely to the shifting federal policy of ocean 
dumping—particularly the previous assumption that all ocean dumping of sewage 
sludge would be phased out by the end of 1981—there is no overall federal plan for 
ocean dumping research (although there is a plan for marine pollution research in 
general). There is a need for a comprehensive plan for establishing and meeting the 
highest priority research needs to replace the current “shotgun” approach to feder- 
ally-supported ocean dumping research. 
(2) Long-Term Effects: NOAA has been engaged in research on the long-term ef- 
fects of ocean dumping for nearly a decade. However, partially due to the poor 
design of some of this research, there is still a pressing need in this area. While 
progress has been made in evaluating the gross degradation that has occurred in 
the ocean over a fairly lengthy period (10 years, for example), surprisingly little has 
been learned about why such long-term degradation occurs and about the more 
subtle components of such degradation. For example, the effects of bioaccumulated 
contaminants on a species’ reproductive capabilities need to be actively investigated. 
