1998 Year of the Ocean The Oceans and National Security 



on the permissible types of dumping at sea, including the dumping of high and low- 

 level radioactive wastes. 



(d) Obtaining universal participation among flag states of Armex VI of MARPOL. This 

 Armex sets forth new international standards applicable to air emissions from ships. 



(e) Working with the IMO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to find 

 acceptable regimes for the safe and secure methods for transporting nuclear materials 

 at sea. Striking an appropriate balance between the competing international interests 

 in this area is important from a nuclear safety and non-proliferation perspective. 



MANAGEMENT ISSUES 



Following a joint hearing in January 1996, Congress established a National 

 Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) to improve knowledge of the oceans through 

 federal, academic, and industrial partnerships in research and education. Federal coordination is 

 achieved through a National Ocean Research Leadership Council, which includes broad 

 representation from federal agencies with oceans interests and is currently chaired by the 

 Secretary of the Navy. In 1997, twelve partnership projects were funded to establish new coastal 

 laboratories, develop plans for a virtual ocean data center, improve ocean data collection and 

 processing, and expand public and education outreach activities. NOPP's challenge, in this time 

 of declining budgets, is to seek out and foster the most beneficial projects and partnerships that 

 meet national oceanographic requirements and program goals. In the coming years, there will be 

 continued study on whether NOPP, and programs like it in other agencies, are meeting their 

 objectives. 



From time to time, legislative proposals are made to renew operating or differential 

 subsidies for the U.S. merchant fleet engaged in international trade for the purpose of leveling 

 the economic playing field for labor and operating cost, since only 3 percent of U.S. foreign 

 waterbome trade is carried by the U.S. merchant fleet. In the past legislative session, there were 

 proposals to substantially scale-back the "Jones Act," which establishes a preference for U.S. 

 owned and crewed vessels engaged in the coastwise trade. Proposals have also been made to 

 provide subsidies to U.S. shipyards to equalize the labor cost differentials with shipyards 

 overseas, where direct or indirect construction subsidies are routine. U.S. defense spending in 

 U.S. shipyards and for the charter of U.S. flag vessels is expected to decline, and this decreased 

 spending may increase pressure on the Congress and the Executive Branch to address this 

 problem. 



The Federal Environmental Task Force (discussed above), which was formed in the mid- 

 1990s, and successor initiatives, have collectively resulted in the transfer of formerly classified 

 environmental data to scientists and others in the civilian sector to help solve global 

 environmental and resource questions. The Navy has offered some further access to classified 

 data if a source for the cost of "sanitizing" data can be found. In the coming years, stakeholders 



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