OIL SPILL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY TEST AND EVALUATION PROGRAM.

SEC. 910. OIL SPILL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY TEST AND EVALUATION PROGRAM. (a) Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a program to evaluate the technological feasibility and environmental benefits of having tank vessels carry oil spill prevention and response technology. To implement the program the Secretary shall— (1) publish in the Federal Register an invitation for submission of proposals including plans and procedures for testing; and (2) review and evaluate technology using, to the maximum extent possible, existing evaluation and performance standards. (b) The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent possible, incorporate in the program established in subsection (a), the results of existing studies and evaluations of oil spill prevention and response technology carried on tank vessels. 107 STAT. 2426 (c) Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall evaluate the results of the program established in subsection (a) and submit a report to Congress with recommendations on the feasibility and environmental benefits of, and appropriate equipment and utilization standards for, requiring tank vessels to carry oil spill prevention and response equipment. (d) Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall evaluate and report to the Congress on the feasibility of using segregated ballast tanks for emergency transfer of cargo and storage of recovered oil.