[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3893 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3893

 To amend the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 
to restrict ocean dumping at the site off the coast of New Jersey known 
   as the ``Historic Area Remediation Site'', to dumping of dredged 
 material having levels of contaminants that do not exceed background 
                     ambient contamination levels.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2000

 Mr. Pallone introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 
to restrict ocean dumping at the site off the coast of New Jersey known 
   as the ``Historic Area Remediation Site'', to dumping of dredged 
 material having levels of contaminants that do not exceed background 
                     ambient contamination levels.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Anti-Ocean Dumping Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. RESTRICTION ON OCEAN DUMPING AT THE HISTORIC AREA REMEDIATION 
              SITE.

    Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act 
of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1413) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Restriction on Ocean Dumping at the Historic Area Remediation 
Site.--
            ``(1) In general.--No permit may be issued authorizing 
        transportation of material for the purpose of dumping at the 
        Historic Area Remediation Site, and no permit authorizing such 
        transportation shall be effective, other than a permit for 
        transportation of qualified dredged material.
            ``(2) Requirements for qualified dredged material.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator shall issue 
                regulations that establish requirements for material to 
                be considered qualified dredged material.
                    ``(B) Criteria.--Regulations under this paragraph 
                shall provide that material is not qualified dredged 
                material unless the level of each contaminant in the 
                material--
                            ``(i) does not exceed the background 
                        ambient contamination level for that 
                        contaminant;
                            ``(ii) will not cause undesirable effects, 
                        including through bioaccumulation; and
                            ``(iii) will be protective to the most 
                        sensitive marine species at the most sensitive 
                        life stages.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Background ambient contamination level.--The 
                term `background ambient contamination level' means, 
                with respect to a contaminant, a level of contamination 
                by that contaminant that is substantially equivalent to 
                or less than the level of such contamination in biota 
                and sediments found occurring naturally in the ocean in 
                areas that have never been impacted by ocean dumping.
                    ``(B) Contaminant.--The term `contaminant' means 
                any substance that poses an unacceptable threat to 
                human health or the environment.
                    ``(C) Historic area remediation site.--The term 
                `Historic Area Remediation Site' means the dredged 
                material disposal area known by that name that is 
                located east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and described 
                in part 228.15(d)(6) of title 40, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (as in effect on July 1, 1999).
                    ``(D) Qualified dredged material.--The term 
                `qualified dredged material' means material that is 
                qualified dredged material under regulations issued 
                under paragraph (2).''.
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