Clean Ships, Clean Ports, Clean Oceans: Controlling Garbage and Plastic Wastes at Sea (1995)
Chapter: APPENDIX D Time Line for U.S. Implementation of Annex V
APPENDIX D
Time Line for U.S. Implementation of Annex V
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December 29, 1987 |
President Reagan signs the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 (MPPRCA) (P.L. 100-220) into law. The Act extends Annex V mandates to the navigable waters of the United States and the 200-nautical-mile-wide U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). |
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December 30, 1987 |
The United States delivers the instrument of ratification to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The U.S. ratification also triggers the start of the one-year clock that determines when Annex V will take effect internationally. The United States pledges to make "every reasonable effort" to make the Gulf of Mexico a special area under Annex V. |
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May 1988 |
The report of the Interagency Task Force on Persistent Marine Debris is released to the White House Office of Domestic Policy. |
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September 1988 |
IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 26) approves the Guidelines for the Implementation of Annex V, Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. The United States played an instrumental role in drafting and finalizing the guidelines. |
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December 31, 1988 |
Annex V enters into force in the United States (and worldwide). |
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August 28, 1989 |
This is the deadline (set as part of the U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Adequacy program) for all U.S. ports to arrange to accept foreign garbage that must be quarantined under Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) rules. |
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March 12, 1990 |
MEPC 29 addresses the proposal to make the Gulf of Mexico a special area under Annex V. Several issues remain to be resolved before the designation can proceed. |
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May 2, 1990 |
U.S. Coast Guard (Department of Transportation) issues an interim final rule for record keeping and informational requirements of the MPPRCA. (These are not Annex V requirements.) |
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September 4, 1990 |
U.S. Coast Guard issues a final rule implementing Annex V for foreign vessels operating in U.S. waters and for U.S. ships operating in any waters. |
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November 12, 1990 |
MEPC 30 adopts amendments proposed by the United States to designate the Antarctic Ocean as a special area under Annex V. MEPC 30 also approves a proposal for designating the Wider Caribbean (as defined by the regional Cartagena Convention) as a special area under Annex V. This action initiates a series of regional preparations that are still in progress. |
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January 1991 |
APHIS begins boarding vessels arriving at U.S. ports on behalf of the Coast Guard. APHIS inspectors use four questions to detect Annex V violations, which are referred to the Coast Guard. |
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February 1991 |
The United States submits a proposed standard specification for shipboard incinerators to the IMO Marine Safety Committee's Subcommittee on Ship Design and Equipment. |
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March 1, 1991 |
U.S. Coast Guard issues a final rule that makes permanent requirements for waste management plans and placards on vessels 26 feet or more in length. |
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October 1991 |
The U.S. Gulf of Mexico Program issues a Marine Debris Action Plan for that region. (An Addendum was issued in December 1992.) |
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October 30, 1992 |
The MEPC adopts the standard specification for shipboard incinerators. |
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November 1992 |
The U.S. Coast Guard issues internal MARPOL 73/78 Annex V Guidance and Procedures in the Marine Safety Manual, Chapter 33, section F. |
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November 1993 |
The U.S. Congress extends deadlines for U.S. Navy compliance to 1998 for the plastics ban and the year 2000 for special area requirements. |
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May 19, 1994 |
U.S. Coast Guard regulations take effect requiring garbage logs on ocean-going, U.S.-flag vessels over 12.2 meters (about 40 feet) long in commercial service. |
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August 1994 |
U.S. General Accounting Office issues the first part of a congressionally mandated report on U.S. Navy compliance efforts. (A follow-up report was issued in November 1994.) |
