With increased awareness, however, that our ecological system was seriously endangered by pollution, Congress on 1 January 1970 passed the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and followed in April with the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970. Each Federal depart-ment or agency involved in any action that affects the environment is required to observe all existing laws governing the control of pollution.
All future construction is to be designed with pollution con-trol in mind.
In 1899 Congress passed a law prohibiting the discharge of refuse in navigable waters of the United States. These Acts formed the basis for Article 1272, Navy Regulations 1948, which forbids the discharge of oil or refuse into inland or coastal waters. The Oil Pollution Act of 1961 prohibits the discharge of oil or oily mixtures, such as ballast, within specific zones bordering coastal na-tions. These prohibited zones extend a minimum of 50 miles seaward from the nearest land and out to 150 miles in some areas. Although this Act does not specifically apply to naval vessels, its provisions were incorporated into Article 1272 the following year.