16 U.S.C. § 1220 — State applications for obsolete ships for use as offshore reefs

(a) Conservation of marine life Any State may apply to the Secretary of Transportation (after this referred to in this chapter as the “Secretary”) for obsolete ships which, but for the operation of this chapter, would be designated by the Secretary for scrapping if the State intends to sink such ships for use as an offshore artificial reef for the conservation of marine life. (b) Manner and form of applications; minimum requirements A State must apply for obsolete ships under this chapter in such manner and form as the Secretary must prescribe, but such application must include at least (1) the location at which the State proposes to sink the ships, (2) a certificate from the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, that the proposed use of the particular vessel or vessels requested by the State will be compatible with water quality standards and other appropriate environmental protection requirements, and (3) statements and estimates about the conservation goals which are sought to be achieved by use of the ships. (c) Copies to Federal officers for official comments and views Before taking any action about an application submitted under this chapter, the Secretary must provide copies of the application to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Defense, and any other appropriate Federal officer, and must consider comments and views of such officers about the application. (d) United States territory, possession, or Commonwealth; foreign country Any territory, possession, or Commonwealth of the United States, and any foreign country, may apply to the Secretary for an obsolete vessel to be used for an artificial reef under this section. The application process and reefing of any such obsolete vessel must be performed in a manner consistent with the process jointly developed by the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under section 3504(b) of Public Law 107–314 ( 16 U.S.C. 1220 note).