Sec. 514. Center of Expertise for Marine Environmental Response
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Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall establish a Center of Expertise for Marine Environmental Response (referred to in this section as the Center of Expertise ) in accordance with section 313 of title 14, United States Code. The Center of Expertise shall be located in close proximity to— an area of the country with quick access to State, Federal, and international waters, port and marine environments, coastal and estuary environments, and the intercoastal waterway; multiple Coast Guard sea and air stations; multiple Federal agencies that are engaged in coastal and fisheries management; one or more designated national estuaries;
State coastal and wildlife management agencies; and an institution of higher education with adequate marine science search laboratory facilities and capabilities and expertise in coastal marine ecology, ecosystems, environmental chemistry, fish and wildlife management, coastal mapping, water resources, and marine technology development. The Center of Expertise shall— monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, the state of knowledge regarding training, education, and technology development for marine environmental response protocols in State, Federal, and international waters, port and marine environments, coastal and estuary environments, and the intercoastal waterway; identify any significant gaps in research related to marine environmental response protocols, including an assessment of major scientific or technological deficiencies in responses to past incidents in these waterways that are interconnected, and seek to fill such gaps; conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation for marine environmental response equipment, technologies, and techniques to mitigate and respond to environmental incidents in these waterways; educate and train Federal, State, and local first responders in— the incident command system structure; marine environmental response techniques and strategies; and public affairs; and work with academic and private sector response training centers to develop and standardize marine environmental response training and techniques.
In this section, the term marine environmental response means any response to incidents that— impacts— the marine environment of State, Federal or international waterways; port and marine environments; coastal and estuary environments; or the intercoastal waterway; and promotes— the protection and conservation of the marine environment; the health of fish, animal populations, and endangered species; and the resilience of coastal ecosystems and infrastructure.