INTRODUCTION TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND POLLUTION - Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 16

oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits emissions
of ozone depleting substances into the air. MARPOL, admin-
istered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), cre-
ates obligations for both flag states (the country certifying a
vessel, from which a vessel launched, or under which a vessel
sails) and port states (where a vessel lands). Both flag states
and port states may inspect vessels to make sure they are in
compliance with the treaty and can impose sanctions if it is in
violation of the terms. In the United States, the Coast Guard
has the primary responsibility.
Like marine-based sources, land-based sources are reg-
ulated by all levels of government. The United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an interna-
tional treaty that covers many aspects of ocean governance
and includes obligations to control land-based sources of pol-
lution. In addition to UNCLOS, regional treaties and domes-
tic laws attempt to control land-based pollution. For example,
the Cartagena Convention's Protocol Concerning Pollution
from Land-Based Sources and Activities seeks to prevent
land-based solid waste from coming into the Caribbean Sea.
The terms of this treaty include preventing “persistent syn-
thetic and other materials” from harming the ocean. Treaties
like this provide both a legally enforceable framework and a
forum in which countries can come together to exchange best
practices and voluntary approaches to combat pollution.
In the United States, the Clean Water Act (CWA) seeks to
control land-based sources of pollution. The CWA made it
unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source (pipe
or man-made ditch) into navigable waters unless a permit was
obtained. It is enforced by the EPA. The EPA's National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a permit program
that controls point source discharges into the aquatic environ-
ment. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal sys-
tem, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge
do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal,
and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go