Collapse to view only § 9117. Protection of the environment
- § 9111. License for ownership, construction, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships
- § 9112. Procedure
- § 9113. Protection of submarine electric transmission cables and equipment
- § 9114. Antitrust review
- § 9115. Adjacent coastal States
- § 9116. Diligence requirements
- § 9117. Protection of the environment
- § 9118. Marine environmental protection and safety of life and property at sea
- § 9119.
- § 9120. Monitoring of licensees’ activities
- § 9121. Suspension, revocation, and termination of licenses
- § 9122. Recordkeeping and public access to information
- § 9123. Relinquishment or surrender of license
- § 9124. Civil actions
- § 9125. Judicial review
- § 9126. Exempt operations
- § 9127. Periodic review and revision of regulations
§ 9111. License for ownership, construction, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships
(a) License requirement
(b) Documented plantships; documented facilities; facilities located in territorial sea; facilities connected to United States by pipeline or cable
The Administrator shall, upon application and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, issue, transfer, amend, or renew licenses for the ownership, construction, and operation of—
(1) ocean thermal energy conversion plantships documented under the laws of the United States, and
(2) ocean thermal energy conversion facilities documented under the laws of the United States, located in whole or in part between the highwater mark and the seaward boundary of the territorial sea of the United States, or connected to the United States by pipeline or cable.
(c) License issuance prerequisites
The Administrator may issue a license to a citizen of the United States in accordance with the provisions of this chapter unless—
(1) he determines that the applicant cannot or will not comply with applicable laws, regulations, and license conditions;
(2) he determines that the construction and operation of the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship will not be in the national interest and consistent with national security and other national policy goals and objectives, including energy self-sufficiency and environmental quality;
(3) he determines, after consultation with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, that the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship will not be operated with reasonable regard to the freedom of navigation or other reasonable uses of the high seas and authorized uses of the Continental Shelf, as defined by United States law, treaty, convention, or customary international law;
(4) he has been informed, within 45 days after the conclusion of public hearings on that application, or on proposed licenses for the designated application area, by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship will not conform with all applicable provisions of any law for which he has regulatory authority;
(5) he has received the opinion of the Attorney General, pursuant to section 9114 of this title, stating that issuance of the license would create a situation in violation of the antitrust laws, or the 90-day period provided in section 9114 of this title has not expired;
(6) he has consulted with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Defense, to determine their views on the adequacy of the application, and its effect on programs within their respective jurisdictions and determines on the basis thereof, that the application for a license is inadequate;
(7) the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship will be documented under the laws of a foreign nation;
(8) the applicant has not agreed to the condition that no vessel may be used for the transportation to the United States of things produced, processed, refined, or manufactured at the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship unless such vessel is documented under the laws of the United States;
(9) when the license is for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility, he determines that the facility, including any submarine electric transmission cables and equipment or pipelines which are components of the facility, will not be located and designed so as to minimize interference with other uses of the high seas or the Continental Shelf, including cables or pipelines already in position on or in the seabed and the possibility of their repair;
(10) the Governor of any adjacent coastal State with an approved coastal zone management program in good standing pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) determines that, in his or her view, the application is inadequate or inconsistent with respect to programs within his or her jurisdiction;
(11) when the license is for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility, he determines that the thermal plume of the facility is expected to impinge on so as to degrade the thermal gradient used by any other ocean thermal energy conversion facility already licensed or operating, without the consent of its owner;
(12) when the license is for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility, he determines that the thermal plume of the facility is expected to impinge on so as to adversely affect the territorial sea or area of national resource jurisdiction, as recognized by the United States, of any other nation, unless the Secretary of State approves such impingement after consultation with such nation;
(13) when the license is for an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship, he determines that the applicant has not provided adequate assurance that the plantship will be operated in such a way as to prevent its thermal plume from impinging on so as to degrade the thermal gradient used by any other ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship without the consent of its owner, and from impinging on so as to adversely affect the territorial sea or area of national resource jurisdiction, as recognized by the United States, of any other nation unless the Secretary of State approves such impingement after consultation with such nation; or
(14) if a regulation has been adopted which places an upper limit on the number or total capacity of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships to be licensed under this chapter for simultaneous operation, either overall or within specific geographic areas, pursuant to a determination under the provisions of section 9117(b)(4) of this title, issuance of the license will cause such upper limit to be exceeded.
(d) Issuance conditions; written agreement of compliance; disposal or removal requirements
(1) In issuing a license for the ownership, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship, the Administrator shall prescribe conditions which he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, or which are otherwise required by any Federal department or agency pursuant to the terms of this chapter.
(2) No license shall be issued, transferred, or renewed under this chapter unless the applicant, licensee or transferee first agrees in writing that (A) there will be no substantial change from the plans, operational systems, and methods, procedures, and safeguards set forth in his application, as approved, without prior approval in writing from the Administrator, and (B) he will comply with conditions the Administrator may prescribe in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
(3) The Administrator shall establish such bonding requirements or other assurances as he deems necessary to assure that, upon the revocation, termination, relinquishment, or surrender of a license, the licensee will dispose of or remove all components of the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship as directed by the Administrator. In the case of components which another applicant or licensee desires to use, the Administrator may waive the disposal or removal requirements until he has reached a decision on the application. In the case of components lying on or below the seabed, the Administrator may waive the disposal or removal requirements if he finds that such removal is not otherwise necessary and that the remaining components do not constitute any threat to the environment, navigation, fishing, or other uses of the seabed.
(e) License transfer
(f) License eligibility
(g) License term and renewal
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 101, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 976; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(a)(3)–(5), (b), (e)(8)–(11), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3410–3412.)
§ 9112. Procedure
(a) Rules and regulations
(b) Site evaluation and preconstruction testing
(c) Expertise or statutory responsibility descriptions
(d) Application
(1) Within 21 days after the receipt of an application, the Administrator shall determine whether the application appears to contain all of the information required by paragraph (2) of this subsection. If the Administrator determines that such information appears to be contained in the application, the Administrator shall, no later than 5 days after making such a determination, publish notice of the application and a summary of the plans in the Federal Register. If the Administrator determines that all of the required information does not appear to be contained in the application, the Administrator shall notify the applicant and take no further action with respect to the application until such deficiencies have been remedied.
(2) Each application shall include such financial, technical, and other information as the Administrator determines by regulation to be necessary or appropriate to process the license pursuant to section 9111 of this title.
(e) Area description; additional license applications
(1) At the time notice of an application for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility is published pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the Administrator shall publish a description in the Federal Register of an application area encompassing the site proposed in the application for such facility and within which the thermal plume of one ocean thermal energy conversion facility might be expected to impinge on so as to degrade the thermal gradient used by another ocean thermal energy conversion facility, unless the application is for a license for an ocean thermal energy conversion facility to be located within an application area which has already been designated.
(2) The Administrator shall accompany such publication with a call for submission of any other applications for licenses for the ownership, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility within the designated application area. Any person intending to file such an application shall submit a notice of intent to file an application to the Administrator not later than 60 days after the publication of notice pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, and shall submit the completed application no later than 90 days after publication of such notice. The Administrator shall publish notice of any such application received in accordance with subsection (d) of this section. No application for a license for the ownership, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility within the designated application area for which a notice of intent to file was received after such 60-day period, or which is received after such 90-day period has elapsed, shall be considered until action has been completed on all timely filed applications pending with respect to such application area.
(f) Copies of application to other agencies
(g) Notice, comments, and hearing
(h) Administrative fee
(i) Approval or denial of application; applications for same area; factors determinative of facility selection
(1) The Administrator shall approve or deny any timely filed application with respect to a facility for a designated application area submitted in accordance with the provision of this chapter not later than 90 days after public hearings on proposed licenses for that area are concluded pursuant to subsection (g) of this section. The Administrator shall approve or deny an application for a license for ownership, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship submitted pursuant to this chapter no later than 90 days after the public hearings on that application are concluded pursuant to subsection (g) of this section.
(2) In the event more than one application for a license for ownership, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility is submitted pursuant to this chapter for the same designated application area, the Administrator, unless one or a specific combination of the proposed facilities clearly best serves the national interest, shall make decisions on license applications in the order in which they were submitted to him.
(3) In determining whether any one or a specific combination of the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facilities clearly best serves the national interest, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall consider the following factors:
(A) the goal of making the greatest possible use of ocean thermal energy conversion by installing the largest capacity practicable in each application area;
(B) the amount of net energy impact of each of the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facilities;
(C) the degree to which the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facilities will affect the environment;
(D) any significant differences between anticipated dates and commencement of operation of the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facilities; and
(E) any differences in costs of construction and operation of the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facilities, to the extent that such differentials may significantly affect the ultimate cost of energy or products to the consumer.
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 102, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 979; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(f), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9113. Protection of submarine electric transmission cables and equipment
(a) Prohibited acts; misdemeanor; penalty and fine
(b) Culpable negligence; misdemeanor; penalty and fine
(c) Exceptions
(d) Suits for damages
(e) Indemnity
(f) Repair costs
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 103, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 982.)
§ 9114. Antitrust review
(a) Review of applications by Attorney General
(b) Issuance of license as constituting no defense for antitrust violations
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 104, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 983.)
§ 9115. Adjacent coastal States
(a) Designation of adjacent coastal State
(1) The Administrator, in issuing notice of application pursuant to section 9112(d) of this title, shall designate as an “adjacent coastal State” any coastal State which (A) would be directly connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline to an ocean thermal energy conversion facility as proposed in an application, or (B) in whose waters any part of such proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facility would be located, or (C) in whose waters an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship would be operated as proposed in an application.
(2) The Administrator shall, upon request of a State, designate such State as an “adjacent coastal State” if he determines (A) that there is a risk of damage to the coastal environment of such State equal to or greater than the risk posed to a State required to be designated as an “adjacent coastal State” by paragraph (1) of this subsection or (B) that the thermal plume of the proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship is likely to impinge on so as to degrade the thermal gradient at possible locations for ocean thermal energy conversion facilities which could reasonably be expected to be directly connected by electric transmission cable or pipeline to such State. This paragraph shall apply only with respect to requests made by a State not later than the 14th day after the date of publication of notice of application for a proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facility in the Federal Register in accordance with section 9112(d) of this title. The Administrator shall make any designation required by this paragraph not later than the 45th day after the date he receives such a request from a State.
(b) State coastal zone management program
(1) Not later than 5 days after the designation of an adjacent coastal State pursuant to this section, the Administrator shall transmit a complete copy of the application to the Governor of such State. The Administrator shall not issue a license without consultation with the Governor of each adjacent coastal State which has an approved coastal zone management program in good standing pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.). If the Governor of such a State has not transmitted his approval or disapproval to the Administrator by the 45th day after public hearings on the application are concluded pursuant to section 9112(g) of this title, such approval shall be conclusively presumed. If the Governor of such a State notifies the Administrator that an application which the Governor would otherwise approve pursuant to this paragraph is inconsistent in some respect with the State’s coastal zone management program, the Administrator shall condition the license granted so as to make it consistent with such State program.
(2) Any adjacent coastal State which does not have an approved coastal zone management program in good standing, and any other interested State, shall have the opportunity to make its views known to, and to have them given full consideration by, the Administrator regarding the location, construction, and operation of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship.
(c) Agreements and compacts between States
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 105, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 983; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(e)(12)–(14), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9116. Diligence requirements
(a) Rules and regulations
(b) Termination of license
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 106, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 984.)
§ 9117. Protection of the environment
(a) Environmental assessment program
(b) Program purposes
The program shall be designed to determine, among other things—
(1) any short-term and long-term effects on the environment which may occur as a result of the operation of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities and plantships;
(2) the nature and magnitude of any oceanographic, atmospheric, weather, climatic, or biological changes in the environment which may occur as a result of deployment and operation of large numbers of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities and plantships;
(3) the nature and magnitude of any oceanographic, biological or other changes in the environment which may occur as a result of the operation of electric transmission cables and equipment located in the water column or on or in the seabed, including the hazards of accidentally severed transmission cables; and
(4) whether the magnitude of one or more of the cumulative environmental effects of deployment and operation of large numbers of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities and plantships requires that an upper limit be placed on the number or total capacity of such facilities or plantships to be licensed under this chapter for simultaneous operation, either overall or within specific geographic areas.
(c) Plan submittal to Congress
(d) Reduction of program to minimum necessary level
(e) Environmental impact statement
(f) Discharge of pollutants
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 107, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 984.)
§ 9118. Marine environmental protection and safety of life and property at sea
(a) Coast Guard operations
(b) Promotion of safety of life and property
(c) Marking components for protection of navigation
(d) Safety zones
(1) Subject to recognized principles of international law and after consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall designate a zone of appropriate size around and including any ocean thermal energy conversion facility licensed under this chapter and may designate such a zone around and including any ocean thermal energy conversion plantship licensed under this chapter for the purposes of navigational safety and protection of the facility or plantship. The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall by regulation define permitted activities within such zone consistent with the purpose for which it was designated. The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall, not later than 30 days after publication of notice pursuant to section 9112(d) of this title, designate such safety zone with respect to any proposed ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship.
(2) In addition to any other regulations, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating is authorized, in accordance with this subsection, to establish a safety zone to be effective during the period of construction of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship licensed under this chapter, and to issue rules and regulations relating thereto.
(3) Except in a situation involving force majeure, a licensee of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship shall not permit a vessel, registered in or flying the flag of a foreign state, to call at, load or unload cargo at, or otherwise utilize such a facility or plantship licensed under this chapter unless (A) the foreign state involved has agreed, by specific agreement with the United States, to recognize the jurisdiction of the United States over the vessel and its personnel, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, while the vessel is located within the safety zone, and (B) the vessel owner or operator has designated an agent in the United States for receipt of service of process in the event of any claim or legal proceeding resulting from activities of the vessel or its personnel while located within such a safety zone.
(e) Rules and regulations; vessels; “ocean thermal energy conversion facility” defined
(1) The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall promulgate and enforce regulations specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection and such other regulations as he deems necessary concerning the documentation, design, construction, alteration, equipment, maintenance, repair, inspection, certification, and manning of ocean thermal energy conversion facilities and plantships. In addition to other requirements prescribed under those regulations, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating may require compliance with those vessel documentation, inspection, and manning laws which he determines to be appropriate.
(2) Within 1 year after August 3, 1980, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall promulgate regulations under paragraph (1) of this subsection which require that any ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship—
(A) be documented;
(B) comply with minimum standards of design, construction, alteration, and repair; and
(C) be manned or crewed by United States citizens or aliens lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, unless—
(i) there is not a sufficient number of United States citizens, or aliens lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, qualified and available for such work, or
(ii) the President makes a specific finding, with respect to the particular vessel, platform, or moored, fixed or standing structure, that application of this requirement would not be consistent with the national interest.
(3) For the purposes of the documentation laws, for which compliance is required under paragraph (1) of this subsection, ocean thermal energy conversion facilities and plantships shall be deemed to be vessels and, if documented, vessels of the United States for the purposes of the Ship Mortgage Act, 1920 (46 U.S.C. 911–984).
(4) For the purposes of this subsection the term “ocean thermal energy conversion facility” refers only to an ocean thermal energy conversion facility which has major components other than water intake or discharge pipes located seaward of the highwater mark 1
1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a period.
(f) Protection of navigation
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 108, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 986; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(a)(6), (7), (e)(1), (15), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3410–3412.)
§ 9119.
(a)
License conditions
(b)
Rules and regulations
The Administrator shall promulgate regulations specifying under what conditions and in what circumstances the thermal plume of an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship licensed under this chapter will be deemed—
(1) to impinge on so as to degrade the thermal gradient used by another ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship, or
(2) to impinge on so as to adversely affect the territorial sea or area of national resource jurisdiction, as recognized by the United States, of any other nation.
Such regulations shall also provide for the Administrator to mediate or arbitrate any disputes among licensees regarding the extent to which the thermal plume of one licensee’s facility or plantship impinges on the operation of another licensee’s facility or plantship.
(c)
Coast Guard operations
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 109, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 987; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(e)(2), (15), (16), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9120. Monitoring of licensees’ activities
Each license shall require the licensee—
(1) to allow the Administrator to place appropriate Federal officers or employees in or aboard the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship to which the license applies, at such times and to such extent as the Administrator deems reasonable and necessary to assess compliance with any condition or regulation applicable to the license, and to report to the Administrator whenever such officers or employees have reason to believe there is a failure to comply;
(2) to cooperate with such officers and employees in the performance of monitoring functions; and
(3) to monitor the environmental effects, if any, of the operation of the ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship in accordance with regulations issued by the Administrator, and to submit such information as the Administrator finds to be necessary and appropriate to assess environmental impacts and to develop and evaluate mitigation methods and possibilities.
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 110, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 988; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(a)(8), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3411.)
§ 9121. Suspension, revocation, and termination of licenses
(a) Filing of action by Attorney General; automatic suspension
Whenever a licensee fails to comply with any applicable provision of this chapter or any applicable rule, regulation, restriction, or condition issued or imposed by the Administrator under the authority of this chapter, the Attorney General, at the request of the Administrator, shall file an action in the appropriate United States district court to—
(1) suspend the license; or
(2) if such failure is knowing and continues for a period of 30 days after the Administrator mails notification of such failure by registered letter to the licensee at his record post office address, revoke such license.
No proceeding under this section is necessary if the license, by its terms, provides for automatic suspension or termination upon the occurrence of a fixed or agreed upon condition, event, or time.
(b) Immediate suspension of construction or operation pending completion of proceedings
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 111, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 988; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(e)(17), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9122. Recordkeeping and public access to information
(a) Records and reports
(b) Confidential informationAny information reported to or collected by the Administrator under this chapter which is exempt from disclosure pursuant to section 552(b)(4) of title 5 (relating to trade secrets and commercial or financial information which is privileged or confidential) shall not—
(1) be publicly disclosed by the Administrator or by any other officer or employee of the United States, unless the Administrator has—
(A) determined that the disclosure is necessary to protect the public health or safety or the environment against an unreasonable risk of injury, and
(B) notified the person who submitted the information 10 days before the disclosure is to be made, unless the delay resulting from such notice would be detrimental to the public health or safety or the environment, or
(2) be otherwise disclosed except—
(A)
(i) to other Federal and adjacent coastal State government departments and agencies for official use,
(ii) to any committee of the Congress of appropriate jurisdiction, or
(iii) pursuant to court order, and
(B) when the Administrator has taken appropriate steps to inform the recipient of the confidential nature of the information.
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 112, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 989; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(e)(3), (18), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9123. Relinquishment or surrender of license
(a) Relinquishment or surrender authority; continuation of liability
(b) Transfer of right of way
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 113, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 989.)
§ 9124. Civil actions
(a) JurisdictionExcept as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any person having a valid legal interest which is or may be adversely affected may commence a civil action for equitable relief on his own behalf in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia whenever such action constitutes a case or controversy—
(1) against any person who is alleged to be in violation of any provision of this chapter or any regulation or condition of a license issued pursuant to this chapter; or
(2) against the Administrator where there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under this chapter which is not discretionary.
In suits brought under this chapter, the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties, to enforce any provision of this chapter or any regulation or term or condition of a license issued pursuant to this chapter or to order the Administrator to perform such act or duty, as the case may be.
(b) NoticeNo civil action may be commenced—
(1) under subsection (a)(1) of this section—
(A) prior to 60 days after the plaintiff has given notice of the violation to the Administrator and to any alleged violator; or
(B) if the Administrator or the Attorney General has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil or criminal action with respect to such matters in a court of the United States, but in any such action any person may intervene as a matter of right; or
(2) under subsection (a)(2) of this section prior to 60 days after the plaintiff has given notice of such action to the Administrator.
Notice under this subsection shall be given in such a manner as the Administrator shall prescribe by regulation.
(c) Right of Administrator or Attorney General to intervene
(d) Award of costs
(e) Other remedies not restricted
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 114, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 990.)
§ 9125. Judicial review
Any person suffering legal wrong, or who is adversely affected or aggrieved by the Administrator’s decision to issue, transfer, modify, renew, suspend, or terminate a license may, not later than 60 days after such decision is made, seek judicial review of such decision in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A person shall be deemed to be aggrieved by the Administrator’s decision within the meaning of this chapter if he—
(1) has participated in the administrative proceedings before the Administrator (or if he did not so participate, he can show that his failure to do so was caused by the Administrator’s failure to provide the required notice); and
(2) is adversely affected by the Administrator’s action.
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 115, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 990.)
§ 9126. Exempt operations
(a) Test platforms
(b) Commercial demonstration ocean thermal energy conversion facilities or plantships
(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 116, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 991; Pub. L. 98–623, title VI, § 602(e)(4), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3412.)
§ 9127. Periodic review and revision of regulations
The Administrator and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall periodically, at intervals of not more than every 3 years, and in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, review any regulations promulgated pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter to determine the status and impact of such regulations on the continued development, evolution, and commercialization of ocean thermal energy conversion technology. The results of each such review shall be included in the next annual report required by section 9165 1
1 See References in Text note below.
of this title. The Administrator and such Secretary are authorized and directed to promulgate any revisions to the then effective regulations as are deemed necessary and appropriate based on such review, to ensure that any regulations promulgated pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter do not impede such development, evolution, and commercialization of such technology. Additionally, the Secretary of Energy is authorized to propose, based on such review, such revisions for the same purpose. The Administrator or such Secretary, as appropriate, shall have exclusive jurisdiction with respect to any such proposal by the Secretary of Energy and, pursuant to applicable procedures, shall consider and take final action on any such proposal in an expeditious manner. Such consideration shall include at least one informal hearing pursuant to the procedures in section 553 of title 5.(Pub. L. 96–320, title I, § 117, Aug. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 991.)