charging its broad environmental responsibilities, the The growing demand for better planning and man- 
actions of CEQ will be increasingly important deter- | agement of ocean and coastal resources has added 
minants of future Federal activities relating to both yet another dimension to the analysis of U.S. marine 
the operation and development of the U.S. water transportation requirements. In response to this de- 
transportation system. mand, the Federal Government has undertaken a 
A second major new Federal environmental or- leadership role in compelling more synoptic consid- 
anization to emerge in recent years is the Environ- eration of all of the competing demands (including 
mental Protection Agency, and it, too, plays an transportation) on the scarce land and water re- 
im Fontant cole in THEE raring enviconinental considera- sources of the coastal zone. The principal manifesta- 
tions into Federal marine transportation programs. tion of this initiative is the 1972 Coastal Zone 
pee alies asa ines penaene agency by Reorgan Management Act, which has greatly enlarged the 
ee ee Ne oe  eeniaisters a broad responsibilities and authority of the National Oceanic 
range of programs ting to’ environmental re- and Atmospheric Administration with respect to over- 
search, monitoring, standard setting, and enforce- _all coastal zone use planning. 
ment. Under the Federal Water Pollution Control a2) Under the Coastal Zone Management Act, NOAA 
Act Amendments of 1972, EPA is charged aS is charged with providing incentives to encourage 
establishing and administering a joint Federal/State States to develop 2 and implement coastal zone man- 
water permit program to govern the discharge of agement plans which are consistent with national 
effluents into U.S. navigable waters, with the objec- objectives and that fully consider all of the various 
tive of eliminating the discharge of pollutants by uses of coastal zone resources. NOAA activities in 
1985. This program imposes new water quality re- _ this-area are carried out by the Office of Coastal 
sponsibilities and restrictions on many traditional Zone Management (OCZM), which provides States 
U.S. port activities. with technical information on coastal zone issues and 
A related EPA activity which has affected water helps them to evaluate their coastal resources and 
transportation pertains to the establishment of stand- develop coastal zone management programs. In sup- 
ards for pollutants in dredge spoil and standards for __ port of these efforts, OCZM is authorized to provide 
spoil disposal. Although permitting dredge material § program development grants to States that are de- 
disposal is the responsibility of the Corps of En- — veloping coastal zone management plans consistent 
gineers, these activities and the Corps’ own dredging with Federal guidelines. Once a plan is approved, 
must be carried out in compliance with overall water | annual administering grants are authorized to carry 
pollution standards set by EPA. Thus, the EPA out the coastal zone management programs em- 
standards can significantly affect the cost of port and _— bodied in the plan. This grant program appioach is 
waterway development by limiting the traditional designed to provide an incentive for State compli- 
practice of simply dumping spoil materials in open ance with broad Federal guidelines, while at the 
waters. same time retaining a local orientation within indi- 
Finally, many EPA water-related programs and vidual plans. 
responsibilities are shared with the U.S. Coast Guard _ As a major competitor for the use of coastal zone 
and conducted on a cooperative basis. Pollution) reseurces the marine transportation infrastructure 
abatement research and development and environ- will, of necessity, t be_a_prominent element in the 
mental law enforcement are two prominent areas in _— plans which will ultimately be adopted under this 
which these agencies work closely together in dis- | program. In turn this planning process, by giving 
charging their respective and, at times overlapping, full and detailed consideration to competing uses of 
environmental responsibilities. The close working- the coastal zone, can be expected to affect the course 
level relationships which have developed between the _ of future U.S. development of the marine transpor- 
Coast Guard and EPA in these areas have proven _ tation infrastructure. A more thorough discussion of 
effective in minimizing duplication of effort, while the entire Federal coastal zone management effort is 
at the same time assuring that Federal responsibili- included in the chapter on Ocean and Coastal Re- 
ties in these areas are efficiently discharged. source Management. 
Major Current issues 
Several major issues are likely to dominate future perhaps influence its ability to respond efficiently to 
Federal policy considerations relating to the develop- the Nation’s trade requirements. In the paragraphs 
ment and operation of the U.S. marine transporta- below, these issues, most of which have already been 
tion infrastructure. In turn, the resolution of these discussed, will be briefly enumerated. 
issues could significantly affect the fundamental na- At the broadest level, the issue of appropriately 
ture of the U.S. marine transportation system and integrating traditional marine transportation and 
a 
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