CHAPTER 6 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

SUPPLY PETTY OFFICERS RECORDS - CONTINUED

PREVENTING OIL SPILLS

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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 l policies. l l Explain the procedures used in oil spills. . Explain the methods used for shipboard waste l 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 The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 was repealed by the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1979.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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