Congress Passes Long-Awaited Coast Guard Authorization

Early in the morning on September 30, Congress cleared the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 for the President's signature -- the first Coast Guard authorization passed since the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006. This 2010 Coast Guard bill is chock full of measures affecting the maritime industry including provisions relating to safety, the environment, and labor and employment. The 2010 Coast Guard bill also directs significant changes to the focus and organization of the Coast Guard particularly with regard to major acquisitions and marine safety. Although the bill does not directly respond to the Deepwater Horizon incident, it does contain provisions, such as a provision relating to the inspection of offshore facilities, that will have an impact on offshore energy exploration, development and production.

Over the course of the next few days, we will be highlighting various aspects of the 2010 Coast Guard bill and how it impacts various maritime, energy and other industry participants.

For the text of the legislation, please click here supplemented by the engrossed amendments attached. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's summary of the bill can seen here with the Coast Guard summary below.