Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
December 15, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS20028
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
Summary
The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act has two basic aims: to regulate intentional
ocean disposal of materials, and to authorize related research. Permit and enforcement provisions
of the law are often referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act. The basic provisions of the act have
remained virtually unchanged since 1972, when it was enacted to establish a comprehensive
waste management system to regulate disposal or dumping of all materials into marine waters that
are within U.S. jurisdiction, although a number of new authorities have been added. This report
presents a summary of the law.
Congressional Research Service
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Background ................................................................................................................................ 1
Regulating Ocean Dumping ........................................................................................................ 2
Enforcement ............................................................................................................................... 3
Research and Coastal Water Quality Monitoring.......................................................................... 4
Tables
Table 1. Ocean Dumping Act and Amendments ........................................................................... 1
Table 2. Major U.S. Code Sections of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries
Act........................................................................................................................................... 5
Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................ 6
Congressional Research Service
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
Introduction
The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (MPRSA, P.L. 92-532) has two
basic aims: to regulate intentional ocean disposal of materials, and to authorize related research.
Title I of the act, which is often referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act, contains permit and
enforcement provisions for ocean dumping. Research provisions are contained in Title II; Title IV
authorizes a regional marine research program; and Title V addresses coastal water quality
monitoring. The third title of the MPRSA, which authorizes the establishment of marine
sanctuaries, is not addressed here.
This report presents a summary of the law, describing the essence of the statute. It is an excerpt
from a larger document, CRS Report RL30798, Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major
Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Descriptions of many details and
secondary provisions are omitted here, and even some major components are only briefly
mentioned. Further, this report describes the statute without discussing its implementation. Table
1 shows the original enactment and subsequent amendments. Table 2, at the end of this report,
cites the major U.S. Code sections of the codified statute.
Table 1. Ocean Dumping Act and Amendments
(codified as 33 U.S.C. 1401-1445, 16 U.S.C. 1431-1447f, 33 U.S.C. 2801-2805)
Year
Act
Public Law Number
1972
Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
P.L. 92-532
1974
London Dumping Convention Implementation
P.L. 93-254
1977
Authorization of appropriations
P.L. 95-153
1980
Authorization of appropriations
P.L. 96-381
1980
Authorization of appropriations
P.L. 96-572
1982
Surface Transportation Assistance Act
P.L. 97-424
1986 Budget
Reconciliation P.L.
99-272, §§6061-6065
1986
Water Resources Development Act
P.L. 99-662, §§211, 728, 1172
1987
Water Quality Act of 1987
P.L. 100-4, §508
1988
Ocean dumping research amendments
P.L. 100-627, title I
1988
Ocean Dumping Ban Act
P.L. 100-688, title I
1988
U.S. Public Vessel Medical Waste Anti-Dumping Act of 1988
P.L. 100-688, title III
1990
Regional marine research centers
P.L. 101-593, title III
1992
National Coastal Monitoring Act
P.L. 102-567, title V
1992
Water Resources Development Act
P.L. 102-580, §§504-510
Background
The nature of marine pollution requires that it be regulated internationally, since once a pollutant
enters marine waters, it knows no boundary. Thus, a series of regional treaties and conventions
pertaining to local marine pollution problems and more comprehensive international conventions
Congressional Research Service
1
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
providing uniform standards to control worldwide marine pollution has evolved over the last 35
years.
At the same time that key international protocols were being adopted and ratified by countries
worldwide (in the early 1970s), the United States enacted the MPRSA to regulate disposal of
wastes in marine waters that are within U.S. jurisdiction. It utilizes a comprehensive and uniform
waste management system to regulate disposal or dumping of all materials into ocean waters.
Prior to 1972, U.S. marine waters had been used extensively as a convenient alternative to land-
based sites for the disposal of various wastes such as sewage sludge, industrial wastes, and
pipeline discharges and runoff.
The basic provisions of the act have remained virtually unchanged since 1972, but many new
authorities have been added. These newer parts include (1) research responsibilities for the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (2) specific direction that EPA phase out the disposal of
“harmful” sewage sludges and industrial wastes; (3) a ban on the ocean disposal of sewage sludge
and industrial wastes by December 31, 1991; (4) inclusion of Long Island Sound within the
purview of the act; and (5) inclusion of medical waste provisions. Authorizations for
appropriations to support provisions of the law expired at the end of FY1997 (September 30,
1997). Authorities did not lapse, however, and Congress has continued to appropriate funds to
carry out the act.
Four federal agencies have responsibilities under the Ocean Dumping Act: EPA, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the
Coast Guard. EPA has primary authority for regulating ocean disposal of all substances except
dredged spoils, which are under the authority of the Corps of Engineers. NOAA is responsible for
long-range research on the effects of human-induced changes to the marine environment, while
EPA is authorized to carry out research and demonstration activities related to phasing out sewage
sludge and industrial waste dumping. The Coast Guard is charged with maintaining surveillance
of ocean dumping.
Regulating Ocean Dumping
Title I of the MPRSA prohibits all ocean dumping, except that allowed by permits, in any ocean
waters under U.S. jurisdiction, by any U.S. vessel, or by any vessel sailing from a U.S. port.
Certain materials, such as high-level radioactive waste, chemical and biological warfare agents,
medical waste, sewage sludge, and industrial waste, may not be dumped in the ocean. Permits for
dumping of other materials, except dredge spoils, can be issued by the EPA after notice and
opportunity for public hearings where the Administrator determines that such dumping will not
unreasonably degrade or endanger human health, welfare, the marine environment, ecological
systems, or economic potentialities. The law regulates ocean dumping within the area extending
12 nautical miles seaward from the U.S. baseline and regulates transport of material by U.S.-
flagged vessels for dumping into ocean waters. EPA designates sites for ocean dumping and
specifies in each permit where the material is to be disposed. EPA prepares an annual report of
ocean dumping permits for material other than dredged material (although the most recent report
was issued in 2006).1
1 See http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regulatory/dumpdredged/annualreport.html.
Congressional Research Service
2
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
In 1977, Congress amended the act to require that dumping of municipal sewage sludge or
industrial wastes that unreasonably degrade the environment cease by December 1981. (However,
that deadline was not achieved, and amendments passed in 1988 extended the deadline to
December 1991.) In 1986, Congress directed that ocean disposal of all wastes cease at the
traditional 12-mile site off the New York/New Jersey coast (that is, it barred issuance of permits
at the 12-mile site) and directed that disposal be moved to a new site 106 miles offshore. In 1988,
Congress enacted several laws amending the Ocean Dumping Act, with particular emphasis on
phasing out sewage sludge and industrial waste disposal in the ocean, which continued despite
earlier legislative efforts.
In 1992, Congress amended the act to permit states to adopt ocean dumping standards more
stringent than federal standards and to require that permits conform with long-term management
plans for designated dumpsites, to ensure that permitted activities are consistent with expected
uses of the site.
Virtually all ocean dumping that occurs today is dredged material, sediments removed from the
bottom of waterbodies in order to maintain navigation channels and port berthing areas. Other
materials that are dumped include vessels, fish wastes, and human remains. The Corps of
Engineers issues permits for ocean dumping of dredged material, the bulk of which results from
maintenance dredging by the Corps itself or its contractors. According to data compiled by the
Corps, each year an average of 70 million cubic yards of dredged sediment material is disposed of
in the ocean at designated sites.2 Before sediments can be permitted to be dumped in the ocean,
they are evaluated to ensure that the dumping will not cause significant harmful effects to human
health or the marine environment. EPA is responsible for developing criteria to ensure that the
ocean disposal of dredge spoils does not cause environmental harm. Permits for ocean disposal of
dredged material are to be based on the same criteria utilized by EPA under other provisions of
the act, and to the extent possible, EPA-recommended dumping sites are used. Where the only
feasible disposition of dredged material would violate the dumping criteria, the Corps can request
an EPA waiver. Amendments enacted in 1992 expanded EPA’s role in permitting of dredged
material by authorizing EPA to impose permit conditions or even deny a permit, if necessary to
prevent environmental harm.
Permits issued under the Ocean Dumping Act specify the type of material to be disposed, the
amount to be transported for dumping, the location of the dumpsite, the length of time the permit
is valid, and special provisions for surveillance. The EPA Administrator can require a permit
applicant to provide information necessary for the review and evaluation of the application.
Enforcement
The act authorizes EPA to assess civil penalties of not more than $50,000 for each violation of a
permit or permit requirement, taking into account such factors as gravity of the violation, prior
violations, and demonstrations of good faith; however, no penalty can be assessed until after
notice and opportunity for a hearing. Criminal penalties (including seizure and forfeiture of
vessels) for knowing violations of the act also are authorized. In addition, the act authorizes
penalties for ocean dumping of medical wastes (civil penalties up to $125,000 for each violation
and criminal penalties up to $250,000, five years in prison, or both). The Coast Guard is directed
2 See http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/odd/default.htm.
Congressional Research Service
3
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
to conduct surveillance and other appropriate enforcement activities to prevent unlawful
transportation of material for dumping, or unlawful dumping. Like many other federal
environmental laws, the Ocean Dumping Act allows individuals to bring a citizen suit in U.S.
district court against any person, including the United States, for violation of a permit or other
prohibition, limitation, or criterion issued under Title I of the act.
In conjunction with the Ocean Dumping Act, the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulates all discharges
into navigable waters including the territorial seas. Although these two laws overlap in their
coverage of dumping from vessels within the territorial seas, any question of conflict is
essentially moot because EPA has promulgated a uniform set of standards (40 CFR Parts 220-
229). The Ocean Dumping Act preempts the CWA in coastal waters or open oceans, and the CWA
controls in estuaries. States are permitted to regulate ocean dumping in waters within their
jurisdiction under certain circumstances.
The Ocean Dumping Act also requires the EPA Administrator, to the extent possible, to apply the
standards and criteria binding upon the United States that are stated in the 1972 Convention on
the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matters (known as the
London Dumping Convention). This convention, signed by more than 85 countries, includes
annexes that prohibit the dumping of mercury, cadmium and other substances such as DDT and
PCBs, solid wastes and persistent plastics, oil, high-level radioactive wastes, and chemical and
biological warfare agents; and requires special permits for other heavy metals, cyanides and
fluorides, and medium- and low-level radioactive wastes.
Research and Coastal Water Quality Monitoring
Title II of the MPRSA authorizes two types of research: general research on ocean resources,
under the jurisdiction of NOAA; and EPA research related to phasing out ocean disposal
activities.
NOAA is directed to carry out a comprehensive, long-term research program on the effects not
only of ocean dumping, but also of pollution, overfishing, and other human-induced changes on
the marine ecosystem. Additionally, NOAA assesses damages from spills of petroleum and
petroleum products.
EPA’s research role includes “research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations,
surveys, and studies” to minimize or end the dumping of sewage sludge and industrial wastes,
along with research on alternatives to ocean disposal. Amendments in 1980 required EPA to study
technological options for removing heavy metals and certain organic materials from New York
City’s sewage sludge.
Title IV of the MPRSA established nine regional marine research boards for the purpose of
developing comprehensive marine research plans, considering water quality and ecosystem
conditions and research and monitoring priorities and objectives in each region. The plans, after
approval by NOAA and EPA, are to guide NOAA in awarding research grant funds under this title
of the act.
Title V of the MPRSA established a national coastal water quality monitoring program. It directs
EPA and NOAA jointly to implement a long-term program to collect and analyze scientific data
on the environmental quality of coastal ecosystems, including ambient water quality, health and
Congressional Research Service
4
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
quality of living resources, sources of environmental degradation, and data on trends. Results of
these activities (including intensive monitoring of key coastal waters) are intended to provide
information necessary to design and implement effective programs under the Clean Water Act and
Coastal Zone Management Act.
Table 2. Major U.S. Code Sections of the Marine Protection,
Research, and Sanctuaries Act
(codified as 33 U.S.C. 1401-1445, 16 U.S.C. 1431-1447f, 33 U.S.C. 2801-2805)
Section Title
Ocean Dumping Act
33 U.S.C.
1401
Congressional findings, declaration of policy
Sec. 2
1401 Definitions
Sec. 3
Title I -
Permit Program
1411 Prohibited
acts
Sec. 101
1412
Environmental Protection Agency permits
Sec. 102
1413
Corps of Engineers permits
Sec. 103
1414 Permit
conditions
Sec.
104
1414a
Special provisions regarding certain dumping sites
Sec. 104A
1414b
Ocean dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste
Sec. 104B
1414c
Prohibition on disposal of sewage sludge at landfills on Staten Island
Sec. 104C
1415 Penalties
Sec. 105
1416
Relationship to other laws
Sec. 106
1417 Enforcement
Sec. 107
1418 Regulations
Sec. 108
1419 International
cooperation
Sec.
109
1420
Authorization of appropriations
Sec. 111
1421
Annual report to Congress
Sec. 112
Title II -
Research Programs
1441
Monitoring and research programs
Sec. 201
1442
Research on long-term effects
Sec. 202
1443
Research program - ocean dumping and other methods
Sec. 203
1444 Annual
reports
Sec. 204
1445
Authorization of appropriations
Sec. 205
Title III
Marine Sanctuaries
Congressional Research Service
5
Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law
Section Title
Ocean Dumping Act
Title IV -
Regional Marine Research Programs
16 U.S.C.
1447 Purposes
Sec. 401
1447a Definitions
Sec. 402
1447b
Regional marine research boards
Sec. 403
1447c
Regional research plans
Sec. 404
1447d
Research grant program
Sec. 405
1447e
Report on research program
Sec. 406
1447f
Authorization of appropriations
Sec. 407
Title V -
National Coastal Monitoring System
33 U.S.C.
2801 Purposes
Sec. 501
2802 Definitions
Sec. 502
2803
Comprehensive coastal water quality monitoring program
Sec. 503
2804
Report to Congress
Sec. 504
2805
Authorization of appropriations
Sec. 505
Note: This table shows the major code sections. For more detail and to determine when a section was added,
the reader should consult the printed version of the U.S. Code.
Author Contact Information
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
ccopeland@crs.loc.gov, 7-7227
Congressional Research Service
6