H. R. 2838—45 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the consultation under sub-
section (a) shall be to enhance safety of human life at sea and 
protect the marine environment in the Central Bering Sea. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION.—Not later than 90 days after 
making the determination under subsection (a), the Commandant 
shall inform the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives in writing of the 
findings under subsection (a). 
SEC. 718. MERCHANT MARINER MEDICAL EVALUATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall 
submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assessment of the 
Coast Guard National Maritime Center’s merchant mariner medical 
evaluation program and alternatives to the program. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The assessment required under subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) An overview of the adequacy of the program for making 
medical certification determinations for issuance of merchant 
mariners’ documents. 
(2) An analysis of how a system similar to the Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s National Registry of Cer-
tified Medical Examiners program, and the Federal Aviation 
Administration’s Designated Aviation Medical Examiners pro-
gram, could be applied by the Coast Guard in making medical 
fitness determinations for issuance of merchant mariners’ docu-
ments. 
(3) An explanation of how the amendments to the Inter-
national Convention on Standards of Training, Certification 
and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, that entered into force 
on January 1, 2012, required changes to the Coast Guard’s 
merchant mariner medical evaluation program. 
SEC. 719. DETERMINATIONS. 
Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 
is operating shall provide to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assess-
ment of— 
(1) the loss of United States shipyard jobs and industrial 
base expertise as a result of rebuild, conversion, and double- 
hull work on United States-flag vessels eligible to engage in 
the coastwise trade being performed in foreign shipyards; 
(2) enforcement of the Coast Guard’s foreign rebuild deter-
mination regulations; and 
(3) recommendations for improving transparency in the 
Coast Guard’s foreign rebuild determination process. 
SEC. 720. IMPEDIMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES-FLAG REGISTRY. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall 
submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assessment of factors
H. R. 2838—46 
under the authority of the Coast Guard that impact the ability 
of vessels documented in the United States to effectively compete 
in international transportation markets. 
(b) CONTENT.—The assessment under subsection (a) shall 
include— 
(1) a review of differences between Coast Guard policies 
and regulations governing the inspection of vessels documented 
in the United States and International Maritime Organization 
policies and regulations governing the inspection of vessels 
not documented in the United States; 
(2) a statement on the impact such differences have on 
operating costs for vessels documented in the United States; 
and 
(3) recommendations on whether to harmonize any such 
differences. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the assessment under sub-
section (a), the Commandant may consider the views of representa-
tives of the owners or operators of vessels documented in the 
United States and the organizations representing the employees 
employed on such vessels. 
SEC. 721. ARCTIC DEEPWATER SEAPORT. 
(a) STUDY.—The Commandant of the Coast Guard, in consulta-
tion with the Commanding General of the Army Corps of Engineers, 
the Maritime Administrator, and the Chief of Naval Operations, 
shall conduct a study on the feasibility of establishing a deepwater 
seaport in the Arctic to protect and advance strategic United States 
interests within the Arctic region. 
(b) SCOPE.—The study under subsection (a) shall include an 
analysis of— 
(1) the capability provided by a deepwater seaport that— 
(A) is in the Arctic (as that term is defined in the 
section 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 
(15 U.S.C. 4111)); and 
(B) has a depth of not less than 34 feet; 
(2) the potential and optimum locations for such deepwater 
seaport; 
(3) the resources needed to establish such deepwater sea-
port; 
(4) the timeframe needed to establish such deepwater sea-
port; 
(5) the infrastructure required to support such deepwater 
seaport; and 
(6) any other issues the Secretary considers necessary to 
complete the study. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF FINDINGS.—Not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant 
shall submit the findings of the study under subsection (a) to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 722. RISK ASSESSMENT OF TRANSPORTING CANADIAN OIL SANDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commandant of the Coast Guard shall 
assess the increased vessel traffic in the Salish Sea (including 
Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, 
and the Strait of Juan de Fuca), that may occur from the transport 
of Canadian oil sands oil.
H. R. 2838—47 
(b) SCOPE.—The assessment required under subsection (a) shall, 
at a minimum, consider— 
(1) the extent to which vessel (including barge, tanker, 
and supertanker) traffic may increase due to Canadian oil 
sands development; 
(2) whether the transport of oil from Canadian oil sands 
within the Salish Sea is likely to require navigation through 
United States territorial waters; 
(3) the rules or regulations that restrict supertanker traffic 
in United States waters, including an assessment of whether 
there are methods to bypass those rules or regulations in such 
waters and adjacent Canadian waters; 
(4) the rules or regulations that restrict the amount of 
oil transported in tankers or barges in United States waters, 
including an assessment of whether there are methods to 
bypass those rules or regulations in such waters and adjacent 
Canadian waters; 
(5) the spill response capability throughout the shared 
waters of the United States and Canada, including oil spill 
response planning requirements for vessels bound for one 
nation transiting through the waters of the other nation; 
(6) the vessel emergency response towing capability at the 
entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca; 
(7) the agreement between the United States and Canada 
that outlines requirements for laden tank vessels to be escorted 
by tug boats; 
(8) whether oil extracted from oil sands has different prop-
erties from other types of oil, including toxicity and other 
properties, that may require different maritime clean up tech-
nologies; 
(9) a risk assessment of the increasing supertanker, tanker, 
and barge traffic associated with Canadian oil sands develop-
ment or expected to be associated with Canadian oil sands 
development; and 
(10) the potential costs and benefits to the United States 
public and the private sector of maritime transportation of 
oil sands products. 
(c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In conducting the assess-
ment required under this section, the Commandant shall consult 
with the State of Washington, affected tribal governments, and 
industry, including vessel operators, oil sands producers, and spill 
response experts. The Commandant may consult with the Secretary 
of State. 
(d) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant shall submit 
the assessment required under this section to the Committee on
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Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.