US Coast Guard and EPA step up efforts to protect US waters

摘要

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Coast Guard (USCG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining steps the agencies will take to better coordinate efforts to prevent illegal discharges of pollutants from more than 61,000 commercial ships based in the US and more than 8,000 foreign ships operating in US waters. Under the MOU, the Coast Guard has agreed to incorporate components of EPA's vessel general permit (VGP) programme into its existing inspection protocols and procedures to help the United States address vessel pollution in US waters.