Page 7: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 1995)

Enacting A National Dredging Policy:

A Call To Action by Joan B. Yim, Deputy Maritime Adminislrator

Joan B. Yim

Dredging of U.S. naviga-tion channels and berths is fundamental to suc-cessful commerce. As ports and harbors fill with sediment, barriers to smooth ship access mount. This increases the probability of difficult passage, groundings, or required ligh- tering.

These problems can be alle- viated by advanced planning and a predictable process for determining how, when, and where to dredge. This is self-evi- dent, but tangential issues can cause a seem- ingly straightforward path to become a cor luted maze.

There are risks in delayed actiom^^Tie Oil

Pollution Act of 1990 is frequentl^med for its insurance and double-hull retirements, but its overall purpose of preventi<{g damage to the environment from accidesrfre and oil spills is sometimes lost. Such environmental damages could result should the lack of clear navigation channels and berths put vessels at risk.

Instead of focusing on minimizing risks, by spending consumer dollars setting up fuel light- ering schemes, spill response and readiness plans, and natural resource damage assess- ment policies, it is more logical to emplj^M^e' prevention. Even after a spill occuptf-tiatural resources damage assessment^eSn affect the impact of a spill in terms^fTost value to the public. Does it not^lfeen seem worthwhile to focus on preventk

This is a f>trf€amental thesis of the Clinton

Administration's National Dredging Policy and its ap&on plan for improving government's repfronsibilities in this regard. The policy is ?ased on four short statements of principle:

The regulatory process must be timely, effi- cient and predictable; • Advanced dredged material management must be conducted on a regional basis by a part- nership of federal, state and local governments, natural resource agencies, public interest groups, the maritime industry and private citi- zens; • Dredged material managers must become more involved in watershed planning in recog- nition of the contribuJieiWJfCpstream sources of pollution toJjariJSrsediment contamination; and

Iredged material should be viewed as a resource, which can contribute to wetland cre- ation, beach nourishment and other develop- ment projects.

The recognition of sources of pollution and their control and cleanup may be obvious to some, but it is critical to have these factors identified in a national policy. Now it is up to the federal agencies charged with implement- ing the National Dredging Policy to assure that economic and environmental issues receive bal- anced consideration. The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, the Corps of Engineers, the

National Marine Fisheries Service, the Office of

Oceans and Coastal Resources Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Maritime

Administration have formed a National

Dredging team and are in the process of setting up regional teams.

It is critical for the maritime industry to let local and regional agencies know how impor- tant timely dredging is to their local and region- control system is now available as an optional feature for all

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December, 1995 9

Circle 211 on Reader Service Card

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