14 U.S.C. § 331 (COAST GUARD)
§ 331. Centers of expertise for Coast Guard prevention and response
(a) Establishment.—
The Commandant may establish and operate one or more centers of expertise for prevention and response missions of the Coast Guard (in this section referred to as a “center”).
(b) Missions.—
Any center established under subsection (a) shall—
(1) promote, facilitate, and conduct—
(A) education;
(B) training; and
(C) activities authorized under section 504(a)(4);
(2) be a repository of information on operations, practices, and resources related to the mission for which the center was established; and
(3) perform and support the mission for which the center was established.
(c) Joint Operation With Educational Institution Authorized.—
The Commandant may enter into an agreement with an appropriate official of an institution of higher education to—
(1) provide for joint operation of a center; and
(2) provide necessary administrative services for a center, including administration and allocation of funds.
(d) Acceptance of Donations.—
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Commandant may accept, on behalf of a center, donations to be used to defray the costs of the center or to enhance the operation of the center. Those donations may be accepted from any State or local government, any foreign government, any foundation or other charitable organization (including any that is organized or operates under the laws of a foreign country), or any individual.
(2) The Commandant may not accept a donation under paragraph (1) if the acceptance of the donation would compromise or appear to compromise—
(A) the ability of the Coast Guard or the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, any employee of the Coast Guard or the department, or any member of the Armed Forces to carry out any responsibility or duty in a fair and objective manner; or
(B) the integrity of any program of the Coast Guard, the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, or of any individual involved in such a program.
(3) The Commandant shall prescribe written guidance setting forth the criteria to be used in determining whether or not the acceptance of a donation from a foreign source would have a result described in paragraph (2).
(Added Pub. L. 111–281, title V, § 521(a), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2955, § 58; amended Pub. L. 113–281, title II, § 204, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 3025; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3531(c)(1), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2320; renumbered § 313 and amended Pub. L. 115–282, title I, §§ 104(b), 123(b)(2), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4196, 4240; Pub. L. 116–283, div. G, title LVXXXV [LXXXV], § 8505(a)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4747; renumbered § 331, Pub. L. 119–60, div. G, title LXXII, § 7201(b), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1675.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: Prior Provisions
text: A prior section 331 was renumbered section 2127 of this title.
heading: Amendments
text: 2025—Pub. L. 119–60 renumbered section 313 of this title as this section.
2021—Subsec. (d)(2)(B). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “individual” for “person”.
2018—Pub. L. 115–282, § 104(b), renumbered section 58 of this title as this section.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted “Commandant” for “Commandant of the Coast Guard”.
Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 115–282, § 123(b)(2), substituted “section 504(a)(4)” for “section 93(a)(4)”.
2014—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 113–281 amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Each center shall—
“(1) promote and facilitate education, training, and research;
“(2) develop a repository of information on its missions and specialties; and
“(3) perform any other missions as the Commandant may specify.”
heading: Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
heading: Center of Expertise for Great Lakes Oil Spill Preparedness and Response
text: Pub. L. 115–282, title VIII, § 807, Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4301, as amended by Pub. L. 117–263, div. K, title CXII, § 11214, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 4016; Pub. L. 119–60, div. G, title LXXII § 7201(i)(2), title LXXVII, § 7701(j), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1686, 1837, provided that:
“(a) In General.—
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 4, 2018], the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall establish a Center of Expertise for Great Lakes Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (referred to in this section as the ‘Center of Expertise’) in accordance with section 331 of title 14, United States Code, as amended by this Act.
“(b) Location.—
The Center of Expertise shall be located in close proximity to—
“(1) critical crude oil transportation infrastructure on and connecting the Great Lakes, such as submerged pipelines and high-traffic navigation locks; and
“(2) an institution of higher education with adequate aquatic research laboratory facilities and capabilities and expertise in Great Lakes aquatic ecology, environmental chemistry, fish and wildlife, and water resources.
“(c) Functions.—
The Center of Expertise shall—
“(1) monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, the current state of knowledge regarding freshwater oil spill response technologies and the behavior and effects of oil spills in the Great Lakes;
“(2) identify any significant gaps in Great Lakes oil spill research, including an assessment of major scientific or technological deficiencies in responses to past spills in the Great Lakes and other freshwater bodies, and seek to fill those gaps;
“(3) conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation for freshwater oil spill response equipment, technologies, and techniques to mitigate and respond to oil spills in the Great Lakes;
“(4) educate and train Federal, State, and local first responders located in Coast Guard Great Lakes District in—
“(A) the incident command system structure;
“(B) Great Lakes oil spill response techniques and strategies; and
“(C) public affairs; and
“(5) work with academic and private sector response training centers to develop and standardize maritime oil spill response training and techniques for use on the Great Lakes.
“(d) Definition.—
In this section, the term ‘Great Lakes’ means—
“(1) Lake Ontario;
“(2) Lake Erie;
“(3) Lake Huron (including Lake St. Clair);
“(4) Lake Michigan;
“(5) Lake Superior; and
“(6) the connecting channels (including the following rivers and tributaries of such rivers: Saint Mary’s River, Saint Clair River, Detroit River, Niagara River, Illinois River, Chicago River, Fox River, Grand River, St. Joseph River, St. Louis River, Menominee River, Muskegon River, Kalamazoo River, and Saint Lawrence River to the Canadian border).”
heading: Coast Guard Blue Technology Center of Expertise
text: Pub. L. 115–265, title III, § 302, Oct. 11, 2018, 132 Stat. 3752, provided that:
“(a) Establishment.—
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 11, 2018] and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Commandant may establish under [former] section 58 [now 331] of title 14, United States Code, a Blue Technology center of expertise.
“(b) Missions.—
In addition to the missions listed in [former] section 58(b) [now 331(b)] of title 14, United States Code, the Center may—
“(1) promote awareness within the Coast Guard of the range and diversity of Blue Technologies and their potential to enhance Coast Guard mission readiness, operational performance, and regulation of such technologies;
“(2) function as an interactive conduit to enable the sharing and dissemination of Blue Technology information between the Coast Guard and representatives from the private sector, academia, nonprofit organizations, and other Federal agencies;
“(3) increase awareness among Blue Technology manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and vendors of Coast Guard acquisition policies, procedures, and business practices;
“(4) provide technical support, coordination, and assistance to Coast Guard districts and the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, as appropriate; and
“(5) subject to the requirements of the Coast Guard Academy, coordinate with the Academy to develop appropriate curricula regarding Blue Technology to be offered in professional courses of study to give Coast Guard cadets and officer candidates a greater background and understanding of Blue Technologies.
“(c) Blue Technology Exposition; Briefing.—
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 11, 2018], the Commandant 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 a briefing on the costs and benefits of hosting a biennial Coast Guard Blue Technology exposition to further interactions between representatives from the private sector, academia, and nonprofit organizations, and the Coast Guard and examine emerging technologies and Coast Guard mission demands.
“(d) Definitions.—
In this section:
“(1) Center.—
The term ‘Center’ means the Blue Technology center of expertise established under this section.
“(2) Commandant.—
The term ‘Commandant’ means the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
“(3) Blue technology.—
The term ‘Blue Technology’ means any technology, system, or platform that—
“(A) is designed for use or application above, on, or below the sea surface or that is otherwise applicable to Coast Guard operational needs, including such a technology, system, or platform that provides continuous or persistent coverage; and
“(B) supports or facilitates—
“(i) maritime domain awareness, including—
“(I) surveillance and monitoring;
“(II) observation, measurement, and modeling:[;] or
“(III) information technology and communications;
“(ii) search and rescue;
“(iii) emergency response;
“(iv) maritime law enforcement;
“(v) marine inspections and investigations; or
“(vi) protection and conservation of the marine environment.”