1998 Year of the Ocean The U.S. Marine Transportation System 



Shore Protection Act of 1988 . 33 U.S.C. §§ 2601 et seq. 



Municipal or commercial waste cannot be transported by a vessel in coastal waters without a permit 

 from the Department of Transportation. Municipal or commercial waste includes solid waste as 

 defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), but does not include hazardous 

 wastes regulated under RCRA, waste generated by the vessel during normal operations, 

 construction debris, dredged or fill material, and sewage sludge regulated under the MPRSA. The 

 loading, securing, and offloading of wastes subject to the SPA must assure that any waste 

 deposited into the coastal waters is minimized. 



U.S. Public Vessel Medical Waste Anti-Dumping Act of 1988 . 33 U.S.C. §§ 2501 etseq. 



This Act prohibits public vessels from discharging medical waste except in extremely limited 

 circumstances, because of the serious and widespread risks to public health and to the welfare of 

 coastal communifies. Potentially infectious medical waste may only be discharged by a public 

 vessel if: 1) the health or safety of individuals on board the vessel is threatened or during a time of 

 war or national emergency; 2) the waste is released at least 50 nautical miles from the nearest land; 

 and 3) the waste is sterilized, properly packaged, and sufficiently weighted to prevent it from 

 coming ashore. 



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