42 U.S.C. § 9101 : US Code - Section 9101: Congressional declaration of policy

Search 42 U.S.C. § 9101 : US Code - Section 9101: Congressional declaration of policy

(a) It is declared to be the purposes of the Congress in this
chapter to -
(1) authorize and regulate the construction, location,
ownership, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion
facilities connected to the United States by pipeline or cable,
or located in whole or in part between the highwater mark and the
seaward boundary of the territorial sea of the United States
consistent with the Convention on the High Seas, and general
principles of international law;
(2) authorize and regulate the construction, location,
ownership, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion
plantships documented under the laws of the United States,
consistent with the Convention on the High Seas and general
principles of international law;
(3) authorize and regulate the construction, location,
ownership, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion
plantships by United States citizens, consistent with the
Convention on the High Seas and general principles of
international law;
(4) establish a legal regime which will permit and encourage
the development of ocean thermal energy conversion as a
commercial energy technology;
(5) provide for the protection of the marine and coastal
environment, and consideration of the interests of ocean users,
to prevent or minimize any adverse impact which might occur as a
consequence of the development of such ocean thermal energy
conversion facilities or plantships;
(6) make applicable certain provisions of the Merchant Marine
Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. 1177 et seq.) [46 App. U.S.C. 1101 et seq.]
to assist in financing of ocean thermal energy conversion
facilities and plantships;
(7) protect the interests of the United States in the location,
construction, and operation of ocean thermal energy conversion
facilities and plantships; and
(8) protect the rights and responsibilities of adjacent coastal
States in ensuring that Federal actions are consistent with
approved State coastal zone management programs and other
applicable State and local laws.
(b) The Congress declares that nothing in this chapter shall be
construed to affect the legal status of the high seas, the
superjacent airspace, or the seabed and subsoil, including the
Continental Shelf.