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PREVENTING OIL SPILLS |
CHAPTER 6
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
When you have read and understood this chapter, you should be able to answer
the following learning objectives.
. Explain the basis for the Navy’s environmental
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policies.
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l Explain the procedures used in oil spills.
. Explain the methods used for shipboard waste
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disposal.
Describe the procedures used in fuel oil storage.
Explain the use of fuel oil piping systems.
Explain the procedures used in fueling.
The federal government continues to emphasize
how important it is that federal agencies do everything
possible to prevent environmental pollution.
Presidential executive orders and congressional
legislation support this emphasis. All facilities owned
by, or leased to, the federal government must be
designed, operated, maintained, and monitored to
conform to air, water, and noise standards established
by federal, state, and local authorities.
The Navy will work to protect and improve the
quality of the environment. We will follow all
regulatory standards that apply to us, and we will
initiate actions to conserve natural resources, protect
historical and cultural properties, and prevent or control
pollution. This chapter covers the policies and
instructions under which we work to protect and
improve the environment, and it provides an overview
of the procedures we use to do so.
POLLUTION CONTROL LAWS AND
REGULATIONS
The following paragraphs offer a brief overview of
the more important laws and regulations we use to
protect the environment.
In 1899, Congress passed a law prohibiting the
discharge of refuse in navigable waters of the United
States. The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 prohibits the
discharge of oil of any kind (fuel oil, sludge, oily waste,
and so forth) into navigable waters. The Oil Pollution
Act of 1961 prohibits the discharge of oil or oily
mixtures, such as ballast, within the prohibited zones
established by any nation, and those zones range from
50 to 150 miles seaward from the nearest land. The
1961 act ratified a 1954 international agreement known
as the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the
Sea by Oil. 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The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 was repealed by the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 1979. This act
prohibits the noncasualty discharge of any type of oil
from any vessel, onshore facility, or offshore facility
into or upon navigable waters of the United States,
adjoining shorelines, or waters of the contiguous
12-mile zone. 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 set goals for
the reduction of pollutant emissions from stationary
sources and vehicles. New stationary sources that burn
fossil fuels must conform to emission standards
determined by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
In 1970, Congress also passed two acts that
declared a national policy to improve the environment.
They were the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 and
of 1970.
6-1
the Environmental Quality Improvement Act
These acts require federal, state, and local
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