Strategy of Ocean Protection - Essay Example

President Nixon addressed Congress on banning unauthorized and harmful waste dumping on the ocean. Subsequently, Environmental Protection Agency passed a bill to Congress that resulted in the formation of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. It established a permit system for ocean dumping to end all ocean dumping by 1975. EPA along with the Army Corps of Engineers began to issue permits for the dumping of waste in the ocean.
On October 15, 1973, the EPA issued its final regulations and criteria for ocean dumping which were strict and highly restrictive. It aimed at terminating all ocean dumping regardless of the permit issued to the applicant. It led to a highly protective approach to ocean dumping. But the scenario changed in the 1980s when New York City authorities filed a suit in a federal district court against the EPA on the rejection of its application for dumping waste in the ocean. The verdict was delivered in favor of the city and the power of the EPA to terminate ocean dumping was limited. As a consequence of the verdict, EPA adopted more flexible rules regarding ocean dumping and viewed the ocean as an authorized disposal option for dumping wastes.
Factors that contributed to the change in the ocean policy are:
1) Scientific study which led to the conclusion that ocean dumping posed only moderate environmental threat as compared to other threats to the ocean environment like Gulf Oil disasters.
2) Change in the socio-cultural attitude of people due to factors like inflation, the oil embargo, and increased energy consumption tempered the enthusiasm of people concerning the environment.
3) The change in the administration with the Presidentship of Ronald Reagan led EPA to move away from confronting intergovernmental relations and to comply with the federal stance towards municipal sludge dumping.

Key Issues Regarding Change in Ocean Policy
The key factors which led to the change in the ocean policy are as follows:
1) The election of Ronald Regan as the President of the US led to a change in the ocean protection policy of the US from ocean protection to ocean management.
2) The passing of the bill by the EPA to Congress which resulted in the formation of the MPRS Act 1972 also changed the ocean dumping policy. A more strict dumping system was followed and a permit system was started for the dumping of wastes.
3) The third and most important issue regarding the policy change was the rejection of the permit of New York City by the EPA.
4) The verdict in favor of New York City also contributed to the change.

Stating position concerning Ocean dumping

Ocean dumping should not be allowed liberally. Strict rules regarding the dumping of waste should be adopted by the government. There is already enough pollution in the water world due to various oil tragedies like the Gulf Oil tragedy which resulted in huge emissions of oil into the water. Government should permit only the dumping of those materials which are bio-degradable and not hazardous to water life. Wastes that are to be dumped should first be recycled and purified as far as possible to avoid dumping any hazardous wastes in the water.
Doing so would not only result in less water pollution but also animals like whales, white sharks, and other endangered species of the water world would be saved from becoming extinct. Read More