Mr. D' Amours. I very much appreciate the ranking minority 

 member's brevity. 



Now, we will proceed with the witnesses. 



Our first witnesses will consist of a panel of witnesses from 

 NOAA and from the Environmental Protection Agency. We have 

 Mr. Charles Ehler, Acting Chief, Ocean Assessments Division of 

 NOAA, accompanied by others; and Mr. Steve Schatzow from EPA 

 Office of Water Regulations and Standards. 



Gentlemen, welcome. If you do want to introduce people who are 

 accompanying you, feel free to do so. 



STATEMENTS OF CHARLES N. EHLER, ACTING CHIEF, OCEAN AS- 

 SESSMENTS DIVISION, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE, NATIONAL 

 OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, ACCOMPA- 

 NIED BY HAL STANFORD, MANAGER, STONYBROOK OFFICE OF 

 OCEAN ASSESSMENTS DIVISION; THOMAS O'CONNOR, MAN- 

 AGER, NOAA RESEARCH PROGRAM AT THE 106-MILE DUMP- 

 SITE; AND CAPT. LAWRENCE SW ANSON, NOAA, CURRENTLY AS- 

 SIGNED NATIONAL SEA GRANT PROGRAM; AND STEVEN SCHAT- 

 ZOW, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WATER REGULATIONS AND 

 STANDARDS, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, ACCOM- 

 PANIED BY TUDOR DAVIES, DIRECTOR, POLICY OFFICE OF 

 THE OFFICE OF WATER; AND PETE ANDERSON, CHIEF, MARINE 

 POLLUTION BRANCH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

 REGION II 



Mr. Ehler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the com- 

 mittee. I am pleased to be here to present the views of the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on marine pollution 

 problems in the New York Bight. 



Accompanying me are Hal Stanford, manager of the Stonybrook 

 office of the Ocean Assessments Division; Tom O'Connor, who is 

 manager of our research program at the 106-mile dumpsite; Betty 

 Hackley, who is the national coordinator for microconstituents re- 

 search in the National Marine Fisheries Service; Bob Read, ecolo- 

 gist from the Sandy Hook Laboratory; and Capt. Larry Swanson, 

 who is now with NOAA's national sea grant program, located in 

 Stonybrook, N.Y. 



Mr. D' Amours. If I may, before you begin, we have a long day of 

 hearings today. I am sure there will be many questions, maybe 

 even many rounds of questions from the subcommittee members. 



Most subcommittee members have read your testimony already. 

 So, to the extent that you can do so, we would appreciate your hit- 

 ting the highlights of your testimony. The full testimony of all the 

 witnesses will be included as they are submitted in the record. 



Mr. Ehler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



I will be happy to summarize my testimony and submit the full 

 statement for the record. 



Growth and development in the New York region have inevita- 

 bly resulted in certain negative impacts on a significant portion of 

 the New York Bight and its resources. However, opportunities now 

 exist to reverse some of the damage and improve its environmental 

 quality. 



