Pollution Control Administration, Coast Guard, 

 and the Corps of Engineers. Regulations by the 

 Secretary of Interior incident to this law should be 

 issued and vigorous enforcement conducted by 

 responsible agencies. Account should be taken of 

 certain weaknesses in this legislation. To focus 

 effort on prevention of spills, as distinct from 

 cleanup, there is need for expUcit Federal author- 

 ity to issue Federal regulations concerning the 

 ways in which oO is handled and stored. In 

 addition, the Oil Pollution Act does not apply to 

 oil discharges from shore-based facilities. This 

 omission is critically significant. The Corps of 

 Engineers estimates that 40 per cent^ of all oil 

 pollution enforcement cases in the past grew out 

 of non-waterborne oil discharges. 



Figure 2. Research Vessel Mysis of the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan. Coastal research affiliated with 

 academic institutions is needed. (National Science 

 Foundation photo by Herb Reynolds, Sturgeon 

 Bay, Wisconsin) 



-Oil Pollution Act of 1961 (33 U.S.C. 1001) 

 enacts the International Convention of 1954 and 

 provides for enforcement of oil pollution control 

 outside territorial waters. This act, enforced by the 

 Coast Guard, prohibits discharge of oil in offshore 

 zones (50 or 100 miles), requires reporting of spills 

 or losses, and requires participating nations to 

 promote adequate oil receiving facilities in ports. 

 Certain provisions might usefully be reviewed: 

 whether exemptions should continue for certain 

 classes of smaller and older vessels; whether the 

 allowable discharge in a sea-water mixture prevents 



Oil Pollution: A Special Study by the Secretary of 

 the Interior and the Secretary of Transportation, 1967. 

 This is an excellent report on the subject. It discusses the 

 weaknesses and inadequacies of the oil pollution laws. 



damaging pollution; and whether, pursuant to the 

 terms of the International Treaty, oil receiving 

 facilities can acconmiodate current levels of ship 

 traffic. 



-Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 

 661) requires that whenever the waters of any 

 stream or other body of water are proposed to be 

 diverted, channel deepened or otherwise con- 

 trolled or modified for any purpose whatever by 

 any Federal agency or private or public agency 

 under Federal permit such agency shall consult 

 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and with 

 the State agency having administration over wild- 

 life resources which may be affected. 



—Executive Order 11288 of July 2, 1966, requires 

 that all Federal agencies comply with the provi- 

 sions and standards of the Federal Water Pollution 

 Control Act and cooperate with the Department 

 of the Interior and appropriate State agencies in 

 preventing or controlling water pollution. This can 

 be an important tool of the Federal Government 

 in preventing pollution. It is discussed in detail in 

 Chapter 4. 



-Executive Order 9634 of Sept. 28, 1945, pro- 

 vides for establishment of fishery conservation 

 zones in areas of the high seas contiguous to the 

 coasts of the United States. This order allows for 

 the establishment of marine wildlife sanctuaries as 

 a fishery conservation measure. 



B. Action on Existing Recommendations 



There are many existing recommendations by 

 competent bodies and studies which treat the 

 coastal environment. These recommendations stem 

 from the need, often urgent, to correct deficien- 

 cies laid bare by such disasters as the Torrey 

 Canyon and Ocean Eagle. The panel has reviewed 

 the following reports and calls to the attention of 

 the Congress and executive agencies the need for 

 prompt consideration of certain recommendations 

 which are reiterated here: 



Effective Use of the Sea, Report of the Panel 

 on Oceanography of the President's Science Advi- 

 sory Committee June 1966. This report is an 

 important reference for the Commission. Two 

 principal recommendations emerge with respect to 

 the coastal zone. 



111-135 



