Plant emissions to be analyzed
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Oceans Agency Reorganized The US Government has reorganized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so that it will be able and prepared to help enforce administer treaty terms if a new ocean treaty results from the UN Law of the Sea Conference. The reorganization was made to address a growing concern for the US to have a national oceans policy which reflect the emerging importance of the oceans. Under the reorganization the position of Fisheries' Director has been upgraded to reflect an increased need for policy level decision making in fisheries. One objective of the reorganization is to sim- plify management of fishery programmes because one-sixth of the worlds fishing is within the US two hundred mile coastal zone. An office of Assistant Administrator for Research and Development has been created to coordinate marine research. NOAA maintains a fleet of 26 vessels for oceanic atmospheric and marine bio- logical scientific research. A Climate Office will be established which will investigate drought problems, weather modification proposals, and the relation- ship between climate changes and the oceans. A new office for ocean minerals will be established to develop a national policy to encourage and regulate the U.S. role in ocean mining, resource devel- opment and environmental protection. Dumping Deadline Massive algae blooms in the At- lantic Ocean caused huge fish kills along the Eastern seaboard of the United States. In New Jersey hun- dreds of marine animals came ashore as the black mass of algae moved landward cutting off the oxygen supply for fish. While the exact cause of the algae bloom is not known, the township of Long Beach in New Jersey is suing New York City and the Environ- mental Protection Agency alleging that sludge dumped by the city into the Hudson River and sludge dumped from barges within the 12-mile limit are responsible. The suit seeks an injunction to stop durriping within one hundred miles of the shore and a declaration that the Environmental Protection Agency's deadline of 1981 for ces- sation of all dumping be moved up. Long Beach township depends on tourism and the use of its 18 miles of beaches for its econimic life. The suit also alleges that the algae blooms moving landward drove the fish up on to the beaches making them im- possible to use as recreational areas for tourists. HM [] Projects, Policies, and Environmental Impact Assessment: a Look Inside California's Black Box by GEOFFREY WANDESFORDE-SMITH* *Visiting Research Fellow, International Institute for Environment and Society; Asso- ciate Professor of Political Science and Envi- ronmental Studies, University of California, Davis. The author acknowledges the assistance of Laurence Baxter in the preparation of this paper. Environmental Policy and Law, 3 (1977) In a variety of contexts, both national and international, and for a variety of reasons, European interest in environ- mental impact assessment continues to be vigorous. The American model of impact analysis, embodied in the Na- tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 As there is no Law of the Sea treaty, NOAA may have a role in administering and carrying out U.S. unilateral actions which would carry out the U.S. Govern- ments policy of encouraging private busi- nesses which mine the sea beds. If a treaty allowed participation of private corporation NOAA could retain a role by helpingd process applications by U.S. firms applying for deep sea mining rights. HM [] Germany Plant Emissions to be Analyzed All emissions from industrial plants are to be analyzed and the substances they contain ought to be registered in Bavaria, the Bavarian State Ministry for the Protection of the Environment an- nounced recently. Plant emissions once analyzed are as distinctive as fingerprints and can be used to identify the source of any future con- tamination. Under the West German Federal Emis- sion Law special permission is required when a plant wants to either establish its operations or to make changes in its operations which would cause harmful environmental effects or which might endanger the public or the neighborhood. HM [] (NEPA) and the administrative proce- dures to which it gave rise, has been treated sceptically by many European observers. Quite apart from the fact that simple transfer of American experience to Europe is impossible, given the differ- ences in political systems and cultures, there are already in place in Europe planning and policy making processes that incorporate many of the information gathering and evaluation activities asso- ciated with NEPA. Scepticism is no doubt also prompted by the flood of liti- gation brought under NEPA, and by the expanded opportunities it has provided for public participation in agency deci- sion making. Europeans have reason to think that their existing abilities to weigh the environmental consequences of new economic developments and other pro- posed plans and programs is at least as thorough and a good deal less disruptive than American procedures, and probably therefore less costly or subject to delay. They may well be right. • 167
Transcript of Plant emissions to be analyzed
Oceans Agency Reorganized
The US Government has reorganized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so that it will be able and prepared to help enforce administer treaty terms if a new ocean treaty results from the UN Law of the Sea Conference.
The reorganization was made to address a growing concern for the US to have a national oceans policy which reflect the emerging importance of the oceans.
Under the reorganization the position of Fisheries' Director has been upgraded to reflect an increased need for policy level decision making in fisheries. One objective of the reorganization is to sim- plify management of fishery programmes because one-sixth of the worlds fishing is within the US two hundred mile coastal zone.
An office of Assistant Administrator for Research and Development has been created to coordinate marine research. NOAA maintains a fleet of 26 vessels for oceanic atmospheric and marine bio- logical scientific research. A Climate Office will be established which will investigate drought problems, weather modification proposals, and the relation- ship between climate changes and the oceans.
A new office for ocean minerals will be established to develop a national
policy to encourage and regulate the U.S. role in ocean mining, resource devel- opment and environmental protection.
Dumping Deadline Massive algae blooms in the At-
lantic Ocean caused huge fish kills along the Eastern seaboard of the United States. In New Jersey hun- dreds of marine animals came ashore as the black mass of algae moved landward cutting off the oxygen supply for fish.
While the exact cause of the algae bloom is not known, the township of Long Beach in New Jersey is suing New York City and the Environ- mental Protection Agency alleging that sludge dumped by the city into the Hudson River and sludge dumped from barges within the 12-mile limit are responsible.
The suit seeks an injunction to stop durriping within one hundred miles of the shore and a declaration that the Environmental Protection Agency's deadline of 1981 for ces- sation of all dumping be moved up.
Long Beach township depends on tourism and the use of its 18 miles of
beaches for its econimic life. The suit also alleges that the algae blooms moving landward drove the fish up on to the beaches making them im- possible to use as recreational areas for tourists. HM []
Projects, Policies, and Environmental Impact Assessment: a Look Inside California's Black Box b y G E O F F R E Y W A N D E S F O R D E - S M I T H *
*Visiting Research Fellow, International Institute for Environment and Society; Asso- ciate Professor of Political Science and Envi- ronmental Studies, University of California, Davis. The author acknowledges the assistance of Laurence Baxter in the preparation of this paper.
Environmental Policy and Law, 3 (1977)
In a variety of contexts, both national and international, and for a variety of reasons, European interest in environ- mental impact assessment continues to be vigorous. The American model of impact analysis, embodied in the Na- tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969
As there is no Law of the Sea treaty, NOAA may have a role in administering and carrying out U.S. unilateral actions which would carry out the U.S. Govern- ments policy of encouraging private busi- nesses which mine the sea beds. If a treaty allowed participation of private corporation NOAA could retain a role by helpingd process applications by U.S. firms applying for deep sea mining rights.
HM []
Germany
Plant Emissions to be Analyzed
All emissions from industrial plants are to be analyzed and the substances they contain ought to be registered in Bavaria, the Bavarian State Ministry for the Protection of the Environment an- nounced recently.
Plant emissions once analyzed are as distinctive as fingerprints and can be used to identify the source of any future con- tamination.
Under the West German Federal Emis- sion Law special permission is required when a plant wants to either establish its operations or to make changes in its operations which would cause harmful environmental effects or which might endanger the public or the neighborhood.
HM []
(NEPA) and the administrative proce- dures to which it gave rise, has been treated sceptically by many European observers. Quite apart from the fact that simple transfer of American experience to Europe is impossible, given the differ- ences in political systems and cultures, there are already in place in Europe planning and policy making processes that incorporate many of the information gathering and evaluation activities asso- ciated with NEPA. Scepticism is no doubt also prompted by the flood of liti- gation brought under NEPA, and by the expanded opportunities it has provided for public participation in agency deci- sion making. Europeans have reason to think that their existing abilities to weigh the environmental consequences of new economic developments and other pro- posed plans and programs is at least as thorough and a good deal less disruptive than American procedures, and probably therefore less costly or subject to delay. They may well be right. •
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