ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Several laws have been enacted in the past to control both air and water pollution, but, for various reasons, they were largely ineffective. With increased awareness, however, that our ecological system was seriously endangered by pollution, Congress on 1 January 1970 passed the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and followed in April with the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970. In these two Acts Con-gress declared a national policy for enhancement of environmental quality and assigned respon-sibilities for carrying out this policy.

Briefly, these Acts require the Federal Govern-ment, in cooperation with State and local govern-ments, to use all practicable means to create and maintain conditions for a compatible existence between humans and nature. Each Federal depart-ment or agency involved in any action that affects the environment is required to observe all existing laws governing the control of pollution. All future construction is to be designed with pollution con-trol in mind.

POLLUTION CONTROL REGULATIONS

In 1899 Congress passed a law prohibiting the discharge of refuse in navigable waters of the United States. The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 pro-hibited the discharge of oil of any kind (fuel oil, sludge, oily wastes, etc.) into the navigable waters. These Acts formed the basis for Article 1272, Navy Regulations 1948, which forbids the discharge of oil or refuse into inland or coastal waters. The Oil Pollution Act of 1961 prohibits the discharge of oil or oily mixtures, such as ballast, within specific zones bordering coastal na-tions. These prohibited zones extend a minimum of 50 miles seaward from the nearest land and out to 150 miles in some areas. Most countries border-ing the Mediterranean Sea, for example, have a zone of 100 miles; the Australian zone extends 150 miles around most of the continent. Although this Act does not specifically apply to naval vessels, its provisions were incorporated into Article 1272 the following year. (The Act of 1961 is a ratifica-tion of an international agreement known as the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954. Proposed amendments would abolish prohibited zones and extend oil dumping prohibitions to all ocean areas).

The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 was repealed by the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-224). (The Acts of 1899 and 1961 remain in effect, as does Article 1272 of Navy Regulations.) This Act prohibits the noncasualty discharge of any type of oil from any vessel, on-shore facility, or offshore facility, into or upon navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or waters of the contiguous zone (12 miles). Other features of the Act provide for the control of hazardous substances other than oil and for the control of sewage discharges from vessels. The Clean Air Amendments of 1970 (Public Law 91-604) set goals for the reduction of pollu-tant emissions from stationary sources and from motor vehicles. New stationary sources that burn fossil fuels must conform to emission standards as determined and promulgated by the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA).

Guidelines for preventing, controlling, and abating air and water pollution are contained in the Navys environmental quality program, OP-NAV Instruction 6240.3. In general, the Navy is charged with ensuring that all facilities (ships, air-craft, shore activities, vehicles, etc.) are de-signed, operated, and maintained in conformance with standards set forth in the two Acts. Some of the most pertinent requirements of this instruc-tion follow.

Municipal regional waste collection and disposal systems are to be used by shore activities whenever possible. All materials (solid fuels, petroleum products, chemicals, etc.) are to be handled so as to prevent or minimize pollution of the air and water. Resources are to be con-served by reprocessing, reclamation, and reuse of waste materials whenever feasible. Ships must use port disposal facilities for all wastes prior to get-ting underway and upon return to port. Oil pro-ducts will not be discharged within any prohibited zone, and trash and garbage will not be discard-ed within 12 miles of shore; waste materials nor-mally will not be burned in open fires. Sinking agents and dispersants will not be used for com-bating oil spills except when necessary to reduce hazard to human life, or when there is a substan-tial fire hazard.

In striving to meet requirements of the Clean Air and Water Quality Improvement Acts, the Navy has instituted several ongoing programs, some of which are in operation; others are being tested and evaluated. For example, completely enclosed firefighting training facilities from which no smoke escapes are now in operation. Aboard ship, the shift from Navy standard fuel oil to distillate will greatly reduce air pollution because of the distillates low sulfur content. (It also is a cleaner-burning fuel.) Undergoing evaluation are several models of self-contained shipboard sanitary treatment systems that eliminate the discharge of polluted sewage.