§ 80503. General authority of the Secretary

(a)In General.— The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall carry out the Convention and this chapter in the United States.

(b)Regulations.— The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this chapter. The regulations shall—

(1) establish procedures for testing, inspecting, and initially approving containers and designs for containers, including procedures for attaching, invalidating, and removing safety approval plates for containers;

(2) establish procedures to be followed by the owners of containers for the periodic examination of containers as provided in the Convention; and

(3) provide a method for developing, collecting, and disseminating information about container safety and the international transport of containers.

(c)Safety Approval Plates.— If the owner of a container without a safety approval plate establishes that the container satisfies the standards of the Convention, the Secretary may authorize a safety approval plate to be attached to the container.

(d)Schedule of Fees.— The Secretary may prescribe a schedule of fees for services performed by the Secretary, or by a person delegated authority under section 80506 of this title, for the testing, inspection, and initial approval of containers and container designs.

(e)Encouraging Intermodal Transport.— To the maximum extent possible, the Secretary shall encourage the development and use of intermodal transport, using containers built to facilitate economical, safe, and expeditious handling of containerized cargo without intermediate reloading when it is being transported over land, air, and sea areas.

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 11, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1694.)

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
80503(a)	46 App.:1503(a).	Pub. L. 95–208, § 4(a), (b), (c)(1), (3), (e), Dec. 13, 1977, 91 Stat. 1476, 1477.
80503(b)	46 App.:1503(b).
80503(c)	46 App.:1503(c)(1).
80503(d)	46 App.:1503(c)(3).
80503(e)	46 App.:1503(e).

In subsection (a), the words “On and after the date the instrument of ratification is deposited by the United States in accordance with the provisions of article VII of the Convention,” and “and, unless an earlier date is specifically provided,” are omitted as obsolete.

In subsection (b), before paragraph (1), the words “as soon as practicable after December 13, 1977” are omitted as obsolete. The word “prescribe” is substituted for “promulgate, and from time to time, amend” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code and to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “he deems necessary for such enforcement” and “among other things” are omitted as unnecessary. In paragraph (1), the words “existing” and “new” are omitted as obsolete.

In subsections (c) and (d), the words “At any time after December 13, 1977” are omitted as obsolete.