Ocean Dumping Act

In the essay “ The Harmful Effects of Ocean Pollution” by Clair Christofersen they state, “ Records show that 850 million meters cubed of liquid and solid wastes have been dumped into the ocean in the past 85 years. Not only does our population toss these solid wastes into

On September 16th, 1940, Congress passed the Burke-Wadsworth Act with large margins in both houses of the government. This act conceived

President Richard M. Nixon on July 1, 1972. It is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal funds. It was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees in these institutions. (U.S. Department of Education, 1997)

According to the Committee of Foreign Relations of the U.S House of Representatives, “...the United States … claim the right to use the ocean, which is the common and acknowledged highway of nations, for the purpose of transporting, in their own vessels, the products of their own soil”. They are saying that, like any other independent country, the United States has a right to use the ocean to trade. The report also explains, “Great Britain, in defiance of this incontestable right, captures every American vessel bound to, or returning from, a port where her commerce is not favored. [For example, American vessels headed to France] … and in spite of our [complaints and protests], perseveres in these aggressions.” When Britain continued to seize American vessels after complaints and protest, it angered the people of

Furthermore, the Shore Protection Act is applicable to the transportation of municipal and commercial waste in coastal waters aiming to minimize debris from being deposited into coastal waters from inadequate waste handling procedures by waste transporting vessels (Laws That Protect). The Center for Biodiversity had petitioned the EPA to begin regulating plastics as a pollutant under The Clean Water Act- a crucial first step in reducing the amount of plastic. The Clean Water Act is the nation's strongest law protecting water quality. Recognition of plastic pollution under the clean water act enables states to develop water-quality standards to finally begin curbing the amount of plastic dumped in the oceans.

The new U.S. Shipping Act, signed into law by President Reagan on March 10, 1984. The Shipping Act of 1984 altered and replaced what was in the previous Shipping Act of 1916. Some of the things which the Shipping Act of 1984 were different were that markets, industry, microeconomics, law, and regulations were all different since the Act of 1916. The Shipping Act of 1916 made all conference agreements subject to approval by the Federal Maritime Commission, or FMC for short. On August 3, 1981, Senator Gorton introduced a bill (S. 1593) to revise U.S. regulation of international liner shipping. This bill was the forerunner of the current Shipping Act of 1984. Where the Shipping Act of 1916 left unclear as to whether the FMC had ultimate

Terrorism has been one of the major concerns of the entire world; however, the incident of 9/11 entirely changed the perception of governments towards the issue of terrorism. In this regard, the United States of America has significantly improvised its approach towards dealing with terrorism. The approach of the U.S. is also justifiable as the United States is the only country that had to face the maximum ramifications caused by terrorism as thousands of people have lost their lives in multiple terrorist acts. Moreover, the U.S. has also tolerated the loss of billions of dollars in the shape of loss of capital, and investing in improved military and intelligence services. Despite of all these efforts, the U.S. has always felt the threat of terrorist activities; based on this fact, the government and legislature of the United States of America has enacted many acts of Congress to ensure the security of the residents, capital, and assets of the country. Out of various strategies to make United States a safer country, the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act in considered the most imperative yet debated topic among the politicians as well as the public of the U.S.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It is located on the eastern seaboard, with the upper portion of the bay in Maryland and the lower portion in Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is vital to the ecology and economy of both Virginia and Maryland. There are more than one-hundred-fifty rivers that flow into the bay. Within the Chesapeake Bay, there are around 2,700 species that live there. Needless to say, this is a very important ecosystem that needs to be protected. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act does just that.

In 1973 towards the end of the Vietnam War, the War Powers Resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Clement J. Zablocki. This bill was proposed following public and government outrage over the draft and failure in the Vietnam War. Its intent was to emphasize the checks and balances over the President’s military actions. Following Richard Nixon’s inauguration, “he began secret bombings in Cambodia...kept secret from Congress and the American people for more than a year” . The Pentagon Papers, and My Lai massacre also solidified the belief that more limits on the President’s military powers were necessary. The bill passed through both chambers of Congress with huge support, but was vetoed by President Nixon on November 7, 1973.

The problem topic being analyzed is the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 PL 114-114. The law discusses, in detail about, amending Section 301 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331). It adds on to that law by putting in the following into an act, “To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the manufacture and introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of rinse-off cosmetics containing intentionally-added plastic microbeads.” Microbeads are “any solid plastic particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size.” The reason behind banning the microbeads in “rinse-off cosmetics” is due to the fact that they are doing more harm than good, especially to the environment and our water across the U.S. The beads are continually adding plastic to the oceans causing toxins and problems for the marine environment. Microbeads are not only impacting the oceans, but the groups and people all over the world.

On March 4, 2015, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 was introduced to the United States House of Representatives. Sponsored by Democratic Representative of New Jersey Frank Pallone, the bill called to amend “the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban rinse-off cosmetics that contain synthetic plastic microbeads beginning on January 1, 2018” (congress.gov, H.R. 1321). The bill was then passed with amendments to it in the House in December, with Senate passing it a week later by unanimous consent. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 is unlike a lot of bills that have attempted to pass through the House and the Senate because it did not face the all-too-common gridlock that one can expect nowadays from the United States Congress. Pallone said to the New York Times that although he was surprised by the quick success of the bill, it passed simply because it had a lot of support in the House and the Senate and did not have much opposition (New York Times).

Staff writer Vashti Harris in the Suburban editorial “Local residents learn how pipeline would affect Raitan Bay“(July 19, 2017) agrees with local residents that the Williams Transco Pipeline will only cause annoyance to local residents and threaten lives of animals. The noise of the drills needed to build this pipeline will disrupt many residents of New Jersey, and once it is built, it will disrupt the rivers recreational value, and both kill and disturb species such as dolphins, whales, and fish-- all for a pipeline that, according to ReThink Energy NJ, will only bring gas to New York. The purpose of his writing is to inform New Jersey residents about

The Jones Act prevents foreign-flagged ships from carrying cargo between the US mainland and noncontiguous parts of the US, such as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam.

The Jones Act, also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 prohibits foreign vessels from trading between US ports. It Imposes four primary requirements on vessels carrying goods between U.S. ports. First, the vessel must be owned by US citizen controlled US companies that have 75 percent ownership. Second, at least 75 percent of the crew on the ship must be US citizens. Third, the vessel must be built, or rebuilt, in the United States. And finally, the vessel must be registered in the United States.

Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This