The 1996 protocol has effectively moved the scope of the original London convention landwards, relating it to the policy and management issues of land as well as sea wastes disposal. Indicative for this shift are such elements as the codification of the precautionary approach and the establishment of requirements such as the "waste prevention audit," the identification and control of the sources of contamination for certain materials, and the collaboration with relevant local and national agencies that are involved in point and non-point source pollution control. In this context, Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) comes as a natural framework for effective implementation of the objectives of the protocol. Relaying on its vast ICM technical expertise, the National Ocean Service (NOS) is to contribute to the creation of the necessary foundation for the US accession to the 1996 Protocol and, further on, to the protocol's implementation. Through its International Program Office, NOS would also contribute to the international co-operation efforts towards meeting the objectives of the 1996 Protocol.