(d) AVAILABILITY.—The Commandant may make in-
formation regarding the location and capabilities of oil spill 
response vessels available to a Federal On-Scene Coordi-
nator designated under section 311 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 
1321) to assist in the response to an oil spill or other inci-
dent in the waters of the United States. 
SEC. 36. OFFSHORE SENSING AND MONITORING SYSTEMS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Subtitle A of title IV of the Oil 
Pollution Act of 1990 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 4119. OFFSHORE SENSING AND MONITORING SYS-
TEMS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The equipment required to be 
available under section 311(j)(5)(D)(iii) of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act for facilities listed in section 
311(j)(5)(C)(iii) of such Act and located in more than 500 
feet of water includes sensing and monitoring systems that 
meet the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(b) SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS.—Sensing and moni-
toring systems required under subsection (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) use an integrated, modular, expandable, 
multi-sensor, open-architecture design and technology 
with interoperable capability; 
‘‘(2) be capable of— 
‘‘(A) operating for at least 25 years; 
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‘‘(B) real-time physical, biological, geologi-
cal, and environmental monitoring; 
‘‘(C) providing alerts in the event of anoma-
lous circumstances; 
‘‘(D) providing docking bases to accommo-
date spatial sensors for remote inspection and 
monitoring; and 
‘‘(E) collecting chemical boundary condition 
data for drift and flow modeling; and 
‘‘(3) include— 
‘‘(A) an uninterruptible power source; 
‘‘(B) a spatial sensor; and 
‘‘(C) secure Internet access to real-time 
physical, biological, geological, and environ-
mental monitoring data gathered by the system 
sensors.’’. 
(b) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.—Within 60 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 
issue a request for information to determine the most capa-
ble and efficient domestic systems that meet the require-
ments under section 4119 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, 
as amended by this section. 
(c) IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS.—Within 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
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department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall 
issue regulations to implement section 4119 of the Oil Pol-
lution Act of 1990 as amended by this section. 
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents in 
section 2 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 is amended by 
adding at the end of the items relating to such subtitle the 
following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 4119. Offshore sensing and monitoring systems.’’. 
SEC. 37. VICE COMMANDANT; VICE ADMIRALS. 
(a) VICE COMMANDANT.— 
(1) Section 41 of title 14, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ‘‘an admiral,’’ and inserting 
‘‘admirals,’’. 
(2) The fourth sentence of section 47 of such title 
is amended by striking ‘‘vice admiral’’ and inserting 
‘‘admiral’’. 
(b) VICE ADMIRALS.—Section 50 of such title is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 50. Vice admirals 
‘‘(a)(1) The President may designate no more than 4 
positions of importance and responsibility that shall be held 
by officers who— 
‘‘(A) while so serving, shall have the grade 
of vice admiral, with the pay and allowances of 
that grade; and 
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‘‘(B) shall perform such duties as the Com-
mandant may prescribe. 
‘‘(2) The President may appoint, by and with the ad-
vice and consent of the Senate, and reappoint, by and with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, to any such position 
an officer of the Coast Guard who is serving on active duty 
above the grade of captain. The Commandant shall make 
recommendations for such appointments. 
‘‘(b)(1) The appointment and the grade of vice admiral 
shall be effective on the date the officer assumes that duty 
and, except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection 
or in section 51(d) of this title, shall terminate on the date 
the officer is detached from that duty. 
‘‘(2) An officer who is appointed to a position des-
ignated under subsection (a) shall continue to hold the 
grade of vice admiral— 
‘‘(A) while under orders transferring the officer 
to another position designated under subsection (a), 
beginning on the date the officer is detached from that 
duty and terminating on the date before the day the 
officer assumes the subsequent duty, but not for more 
than 60 days; 
‘‘(B) while hospitalized, beginning on the day of 
the hospitalization and ending on the day the officer 
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is discharged from the hospital, but not for more than 
180 days; and 
‘‘(C) while awaiting retirement, beginning on the 
date the officer is detached from duty and ending on 
the day before the officer’s retirement, but not for 
more than 60 days. 
‘‘(c)(1) An appointment of an officer under subsection 
(a) does not vacate the permanent grade held by the officer. 
‘‘(2) An officer serving in a grade above rear admiral 
who holds the permanent grade of rear admiral (lower half) 
shall be considered for promotion to the permanent grade 
of rear admiral as if the officer was serving in the officer’s 
permanent grade. 
‘‘(d) Whenever a vacancy occurs in a position des-
ignated under subsection (a), the Commandant shall inform 
the President of the qualifications needed by an officer serv-
ing in that position or office to carry out effectively the 
duties and responsibilities of that position or office.’’. 
(c) REPEAL.—Section 50a of such title is repealed. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 51 of such 
title is amended— 
(1) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) An officer, other than the Commandant, who, 
while serving in the grade of admiral or vice admiral, is 
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retired for physical disability shall be placed on the retired 
list with the highest grade in which that officer served. 
‘‘(b) An officer, other than the Commandant, who is 
retired while serving in the grade of admiral or vice admi-
ral, or who, after serving at least 21⁄2 years in the grade 
of admiral or vice admiral, is retired while serving in a 
lower grade, may in the discretion of the President, be re-
tired with the highest grade in which that officer served. 
‘‘(c) An officer, other than the Commandant, who, after 
serving less than 21⁄2 years in the grade of admiral or vice 
admiral, is retired while serving in a lower grade, shall 
be retired in his permanent grade.’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘Area Commander, or Chief of 
Staff’’ in subsection (d)(2) and inserting ‘‘or Vice Ad-
miral’’. 
(e) CONTINUITY OF GRADE.—Section 52 of such title 
is amended by inserting ‘‘or admiral’’ after ‘‘vice admiral’’ 
the first place it appears. 
(f) CONTINUATION ON ACTIVE DUTY.—The second sen-
tence of section 290(a) of such title is amended to read as 
follows: ‘‘Officers, other than the Commandant, serving for 
the time being or who have served in the grade of vice admi-
ral or admiral are not subject to consideration for continu-
ation under this subsection, and as to all other provisions 
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and any other such duties that the Commandant 
prescribes. 
SEC. 38. OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION. 
Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (24); and 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (25) as para-
graph (24). 
SEC. 39. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) COAST GUARD.—In addition to amounts made 
available pursuant to section 1012(a)(5)(A) of the Oil Pol-
lution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2712(a)(5)(A)), there is au-
thorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the depart-
ment in which the Coast Guard is operating from the Oil 
Spill Liability Trust Fund established by section 9509 of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 9509) the 
following: 
(1) For fiscal year 2011, $15,000,000. 
(2) For each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015, 
$16,000,000. 
(b) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency from the Oil Spill Li-
ability Trust Fund to implement this Act and the amend-
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ments made by this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2011 through 2015. 
(c) DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.—There is au-
thorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transpor-
tation from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to carry 
out the purposes of this Act and the amendments made by 
this Act the following: 
(1) For each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013, 
$7,000,000. 
(2) For each of fiscal years 2014 and 2015, 
$6,000,000. 
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Union Calendar No. 326 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5629 
[Report No. 111–567, Part I] 
A BILL 
To ensure full recovery from responsible parties of 
damages for physical and economic injuries, ad-
verse effects on the environment, and clean up of 
oil spill pollution, to improve the safety of vessels 
and pipelines supporting offshore oil drilling, to 
ensure that there are adequate response plans to 
prevent environmental damage from oil spills, 
and for other purposes. 
JULY 27, 2010 
Reported from the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure 
JULY 27, 2010 
Committees on the Judiciary and Natural Resources dis-
charged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 
printed 
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