33 U.S.C. § 1509 — Marine environmental protection and navigational safety

**(a) Regulations and procedures** Subject to recognized principles of international law and the provision of adequate opportunities for public involvement, the Secretary shall prescribe and enforce procedures, either by regulation (for basic standards and conditions) or by the licensee’s operations manual, with respect to rules governing vessel movement, loading and unloading procedures, designation and marking of anchorage areas, maintenance, law enforcement, and the equipment, training, and maintenance required (A) to prevent pollution of the marine environment, (B) to clean up any pollutants which may be discharged, and (C) to otherwise prevent or minimize any adverse impact from the construction and operation of such deepwater port. **(b) Safety of property and life; regulations** The Secretary shall issue and enforce regulations with respect to lights and other warning devices, safety equipment, and other matters relating to the promotion of safety of life and property in any deepwater port and the waters adjacent thereto. **(c) Marking of components; payment of cost** The Secretary shall mark, for the protection of navigation, any component of a deepwater port whenever the licensee fails to mark such component in accordance with applicable regulations. The licensee shall pay the cost of such marking. **(d) Safety zones; designation; construction period; permitted activities** (1) Subject to recognized principles of international law and after consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary shall designate a zone of appropriate size around and including any deepwater port for the purpose of navigational safety. In such zone, no installations, structures, or uses will be permitted that are incompatible with the operation of the deepwater port. The Secretary shall by regulation define permitted activities within such zone. The Secretary shall, not later than 30 days after publication of notice pursuant to [section 1504(c) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title33-section1504/c&num=0&edition=prelim), designate such safety zone with respect to any proposed deepwater port. (2) In addition to any other regulations, the Secretary is authorized, in accordance with this subsection, to establish a safety zone to be effective during the period of construction of a deepwater port and to issue rules and regulations relating thereto.