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While the EPA fiddles over the issue, environmentalists burn...
...until last week, it looked as though a new killing ground had emerged for destroying U.S. toxic materials: the ocean. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has appeared to favor the burning at sea of deadly substances like PCBs, announced a preliminary decision to delay the issuance of operating permits for incinerator ships. The halt meant that three specially designed vessels were temporarily left high and dry. The move did not calm environmentalists, who are concerned about the fate of the oceans and the coastlines. Says EPA Director of Water Regulations and Standards Steven Schatzow: "The definition...
According to the EPA, its tests show that ocean burning has no discernible effects on air quality or marine life. The cost is approximately half that of onshore destruction. Opponents, however, brand all incinerator craft "leper ships." They point out that six European nations that have burned wastes on North Sea ships for more than a decade are talking about ending the practice. Concerned scientists contend that it may not be possible to maintain the required 2,400° F heat under seagoing conditions. This could allow the escape of dangerous emissions like dioxins. Those poisons would infect fish, opponents...
...EPA last year announced plans to issue waste-ship operating permits before it had set formal regulations for ocean incineration. The agency's pace led to protests. At open hearings in Brownsville last November, more than 6,000 demonstrators, including Texas Governor Mark White, confronted EPA officials. They argued that a spill at sea could destroy the shrimp and tourist industries on the south Texas coast. When the EPA answered that this eventuality was remote, White commented, "No one believed the Titanic could sink either...
Prodded by the urgency of the need for a solution to the mounting piles of toxic wastes, the EPA is expected to approve burning at sea by the end of the year. The agency is now recommending four test burns totaling 3.3 million gal. to study efficiency and resolve uncertainties about environmental impact. Attorney Peter Arnow, a Louisiana department of justice official who is critical of the EPA, sadly notes that ocean burning seems inevitable. Says he: "On land you have neighbors. But there is no political opposition from the fish." -ByJ.D. Reed. Reported by Jay Branegan/ Washington, with other...