Sec. 4807. Center of expertise for Great Lakes oil spill search and response
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/bill/115/hr/5515/pcs/section-4807·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall establish a Center of Expertise for Great Lakes Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (referred to in this section as the Center of Expertise ) in accordance with section 313 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by this division. The Center of Expertise shall be located in close proximity to— critical crude oil transportation infrastructure on and connecting the Great Lakes, such as submerged pipelines and high-traffic navigation locks; and an institution of higher education with adequate aquatic research laboratory facilities and capabilities and expertise in Great Lakes aquatic ecology, environmental chemistry, fish and wildlife, and water resources.
The Center of Expertise shall— monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, the current state of knowledge regarding freshwater oil spill response technologies and the behavior and effects of oil spills in the Great Lakes; identify any significant gaps in Great Lakes oil spill research, including an assessment of major scientific or technological deficiencies in responses to past spills in the Great Lakes and other freshwater bodies, and seek to fill those gaps; conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation for freshwater oil spill response equipment, technologies, and techniques to mitigate and respond to oil spills in the Great Lakes; educate and train Federal, State, and local first responders located in Coast Guard District 9 in— the incident command system structure;
Great Lakes oil spill response techniques and strategies; and public affairs; and work with academic and private sector response training centers to develop and standardize maritime oil spill response training and techniques for use on the Great Lakes. In this section, the term Great Lakes means Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.