Implementation of Marine Pollution Treaties and International Agreements

Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities
Vessel Pollution
Ocean Dumping
Coral Reefs
Arctic Marine Enviornment
Additional Information About EPA's International Marine Pollution Programs

POLLUTION FROM LAND-BASED SOURCES AND ACTIVITIES

Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities

for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA) is designed to be a source of conceptual and practical guidance for national and/or regional authorities to devise and implement sustained actions to prevent, reduce, control and/or eliminate marine degradation from land-based activities. On November 5, 1995, the GPA was adopted at an intergovernmental meeting in Washington, DC. The aims of the GPA are:

.preventing the degradation of the marine environment from land-based activities by facilitating the realization of the duty of States to preserve and protect the marine environment. [The GPA] is designed to assist States in taking actions individually or jointly within their respective policies priorities and resources, which will lead to the prevention, reduction, control and /or elimination of degradation of the marine environment, as well as to its recovery from the impacts of land-based activities. Achievement of the aims of the Programme of Action will contribute to maintaining and, where appropriate, ensuring the protection of human health, as well as promoting the conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources.

The recommendations and principles contained in the GPA are used to focus policy decisions, regional initiatives and international cooperation to protect human health and marine environmental resources.

Land-Based Sources Protocol for the Wider Caribbean Region

EPA lead the negotiations for the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol), which was signed on October 6, 1999 in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles. The LBS Protocol is a legally binding protocol to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean (Cartagena Convention). The Wider Caribbean Region includes those countries that border: (a) eastern Florida south of 30º north latitude, (b) the Straits of Florida, (c) the Gulf of Mexico or (d) the Caribbean Sea. The seaward boundary of the region is the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of each country.

The United Nations Environment Programme/ Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP/CEP) is the Secretariat for the Land-Based Sources (LBS) Protocol. Projects are implemented through: (1) the Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution (AMEP) program, and (2) the Programme of Action for the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) of the Eastern Caribbean.

In addition to staff in Washington, DC, EPA staff in the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division provide expertise and coordination with countries of the Wider Caribbean Region. The Office of International Affairs also coordinates with experts in EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program on pollution prevention issues.

The LBS Protocol incorporates the following general obligations to address land-based sources of pollution in the Wider Caribbean Region:

Each Contracting Party shall, in accordance with its laws, the provisions of this Protocol, and international law, take appropriate measures to prevent, reduce and control pollution of the Convention area from land-based sources and activities, using for this purpose the best practicable means at its disposal and in accordance with its capabilities.

Office of International Affairs staff are leading the U.S. interagency workgroup responsible for marine pollution policy in the Wider Caribbean Region, including, development of three critical programs for implementation of the LBS Protocol, focusing on:

Domestic sewage and infrastructure (LBS Protocol Annex III).
Bilateral projects addressing agricultural runoff (LBS Protocol Annex IV).
Coordinated research activities with EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), EPA Regional Offices (Region 2, Region 4 and Region 6), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA NOS International) and other Federal agencies to improve our understanding of pollution trends in the Wider Caribbean.

For further information on EPA's involvement with the LBS Protocol, contact Patrick Cotter at: cotter.patrick@epa.gov.

VESSEL POLLUTION

Antifouling Paints

EPA's Office of International Activities (OIA) led an interagency working group negotiating U.S. policy for the draft global antifouling treaty under development at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The treaty was completed in October 2001.

NOTE: To access Antifouling Treaty information on IMO's Web site, enter the site and select "Marine Environment." Next, select "Antifouling Systems."

Air Pollution

EPA is leading U.S. Government efforts to address air pollution from ships including discussions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) relating to MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI and greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

NOTE: To access the Air Pollution annex of MARPOL 73/78, enter the IMO Web site and select "Marine Environment." Next, select "Pollution Prevention," then select "Air Pollution."

Ballast Water Discharges

EPA is a member of an interagency working group for the U.S. delegation to IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). The committee is currently engaged in development of a global treaty for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments that is intended to reduce the introduction of harmful aquatic species. This Convention will be a global treaty on the management of ballast water.

Cruise Ships

Staff from the Office of International Activities and the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watershed (OWOW) are working to develop the Agency's policy and management recommendations for cruise ships. EPA is responding to a letter from more than 50 environmental organizations to reduce pollution from cruise ships in U.S. and international waters.

For further information on EPA's involvement with vessel pollution initiatives, you contact Bryan Wood-Thomas at: wood-thomas.bryan@epa.gov.

OCEAN DUMPING

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (commonly refered to as the London Convention) was signed in London in 1972. Article I of the London Convention states:

Contracting Parties shall individually and collectively promote the effective control of all sources of pollution of the marine environment, and pledge themselves especially to take all practicable steps to prevent the pollution of the sea by the dumping of waste and other matter that is liable to create hazards to human health, to harm living resources and marine life, to damage amenities or to interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea.

In 1996, a Protocol was developed to amend the London Convention to ban ocean disposal of radioactive wastes and incineration at sea. Article II of the 1996 Protocol defines the objectives of this amendment as:

Contracting Parties shall individually and collectively protect and preserve the marine environment from all sources of pollution and take effective measures, according to their scientific, technical and economic capabilities, to prevent, reduce and where practicable eliminate pollution caused by dumping or incineration at sea of wastes or other matter. Where appropriate, they shall harmonize their policies in this regard.

The Office of International Affairs works very closely with other EPA offices, including the Oceans and Coastal Protection Division (OCPD), the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) and ORD and other Federal agencies, including the Department of State, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmoshpheric Administration (NOAA NOS) to coordinate the U.S. Government's policies on the London Convention and discussions about ratification of the 1996 Protocol. We also work with the same Federal agencies to develop consistent national policies to implement Title I of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act), the domestic law governing ocean disposal of material in waters of the United States from the baseline to the boundary of the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

For further information on EPA's involvement with the London Convention, contact Patrick Cotter at: cotter.patrick@epa.gov.

CORAL REEFS

EPA's Oceans and Coastal Protection Division (OCPD) is the primary office working on coral reef protection issues. The Office of International Affairs supports the work of OCPD through participation in the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). EPA also works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on coral reef issues.

For further information on the Office of International Affairs involvement in the protection of coral reefs, contact Patrick Cotter at: cotter.patrick@epa.gov.

ARCTIC MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)

Under the eight-nation Arctic Council, the Protection of the Marine Environment (PAME) working group addresses policy and non-emergency pollution prevention issues associated with protection of the Arctic marine environment from land and sea-based sources. PAME's principal products are coordinated action programs and guidelines that are designed to complement existing legal arrangements. The working group also focuses its expertise on identifying problems in need of further action or measures. PAME works in close conjunction with the other Arctic Council working groups (on environmental monitoring, emergency response, and other programs) and seeks substantive input from indigenous communities, conservation groups, and other elements of the concerned public. EPA currently coordinates the work of all U.S. Government agencies under PAME.

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Arctic Council Action Plan

In recognition of its commitment to develop practical measures to improve Arctic environmental quality, the Arctic Council formulated a set of projects under an Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic (PDF) (5pp, 119K About PDF Files)

in 2000. Through pollution prevention, source reduction, remediation, and technical assistance, these projects address threats to the Arctic marine, terrestrial, and human environment from persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, radionuclides, and stratospheric ozone depletion. Much of the Action Plan is directed at efforts in the Russian Federation, given that country's size and potential impact on the entire Arctic basin. In this regard, the Office of International Environmental Policy operates in close concert with OIA's Office of Western Hemisphere and Bilateral Affairs, which manages EPA's bilateral program with Russia.

For further information on EPA's involvement in protection of the Arctic environment, contact Patrick Cotter at: cotter.patrick@epa.gov.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT EPA'S INTERNATIONAL MARINE POLLUTION PROGRAMS

For additional information about EPA's international marine pollution programs, refer to the following pages on the EPA Web site:

Implementation of Marine Pollution Treaties and International Agreements

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