Reading Room Document
Application of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to the Former Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Treaty and its implementing legislation make U.S. laws based on territorial jurisdiction, including the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, inapplicable to the former Panama Canal Zone. Both the Treaty negotiators and Congress expected environmental problems in the former Canal Zone to be dealt with jointly by the United States and Panama through the Joint Commission on the Environment. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/22606/download.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit