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Q:\COMP\MARINE\MPRSA72

MARINE PROTECTION, RESEARCH, AND SANCTUARIES ACT OF 1972

1 December 29, 2000

Q:\COMP\MARINE\MPRSA72

December 29, 2000

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MARINE PROTECTION, RESEARCH, AND SANCTUARIES ACT OF 1972 [As Amended Through P.L. 106–580, Dec. 29, 2000]
AN ACT To regulate the transportation for dumping, and the dumping, of material into ocean waters, and forother purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, ø33 U.S.C. 1401 nt¿ That this Act may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972’’.
FINDING, POLICY, AND PURPOSE

SEC. 2. ø33 U.S.C. 1401¿ (a) Unregulated dumping of material into ocean waters endangers human health, welfare, andamenities, and the marine environment, ecological systems, and economic potentialities. (b) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to regulate the dumping of all types of materials into ocean waters and to prevent or strictly limit the dumping into ocean waters of any material which would adversely affect human health, welfare, or amenities, or the marine environment,ecological systems, or economic potentialities. (c) It is the purpose of this Act to regulate (1) the transportation by any person of material from the United States and, in the case of United States vessels, aircraft, or agencies, the transportation of material from a location outside the United States, when in either case the transportation is for the purpose of dumping the material into ocean waters,and (2) the dumping of material transported by any person from a location outside the United States, if the dumping occurs in the territorial sea or the contiguous zone of the United States.
DEFINITIONS

SEC. 3. ø33 U.S.C. 1402¿ For the purposes of this Act the term— (a) ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (b) ‘‘Ocean waters’’ means those waters ofthe open seas lying seaward of the base line from which the territorial sea is measured, as provided for in the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (15 UST 1606; TIAS 5639). (c) ‘‘Material’’ means matter of any kind or description, including, but not limited to, dredged material, solid waste, incinerator residue, garbage, sewage, sewage sludge, munitions, radiological,chemical, and biological warfare agents, radioactive materials, chemicals, biological and laboratory waste, wreck or discarded equipment, rock, sand, excavation debris, and industrial, munic3 December 29, 2000

Q:\COMP\MARINE\MPRSA72 Sec. 3 MARINE PROTECTION, RESEARCH, & SANCTUARIES ACT 4

ipal, agricultural, and other waste; but such term does not mean sewage from vessels within the meaning ofsection 312 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended 33 U.S.C. 1322). Oil within the meaning of section 311 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended 33 U.S.C. 1321), shall be included only to the extent that such oil is taken on board a vessel or aircraft for the purpose of dumping. (d) ‘‘United States’’ includes the several States, the District of Columbia, theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the territories and possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. (e) ‘‘Person’’ means any private person or entity, or any officer, employee, agent, department, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal Government, of any State or local unit of government, or of any foreign government. (f) ‘‘Dumping’’ means a disposition ofmaterial: Provided, That it does not mean a disposition of any effluent from any outfall structure to the extent that such disposition is regulated under the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended 33 U.S.C. 1251–1376), under the provisions of section 13 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, as amended 33 U.S.C. 407), or under the provisions of the atomic Energy Act of...