Industrial nations need an array of arrangements to meet obligations for the Rio Treaty CO2 emissions standards for the year 2000. Ocean storage of power plant CO2 emissions is one option. Two strategies seem feasible: 1)Transfer CO2 directly from the power plant by pipeline to the appropriate ocean depth and release it through diffusers; 2) transport contained CO2 to an offshore site and diffuse it by pipe to appropriate depths. However, jurisdictional location of the disposal site, the environmental consequences of the diffused CO2 on water quality and living resources, and public understanding and acceptance will ultimately influence decisions. Legality will be tested by The London Dumping Convention, The Law of the Sea Convention, the RIO Treaty and Agenda 21. Public acceptance will depend on public trust. This paper presents a decision framework based on the two ocean disposal scenarios above. It allows scientists and policy-makers to examine these strategies using legal and socio-political baseline parameters. Both disposal strategies, if determined feasible, would have added costs necessary to assure the public of the integrity of the disposal activity. This decision framework helps policy makers formulate questions, determine trade-offs, and ultimately decide the practicality of the CO2 Ocean Disposal strategy.