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Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-102

§70031 Definitions

Title 46 › Subtitle VII — Security and Drug Enforcement › CHAPTER 700 — PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY › SUBCHAPTER IV — DEFINITIONS, REGULATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, INVESTIGATORY POWERS, APPLICABILITY › § 70031

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in subchapters I through III and this subchapter. "Marine environment" means the U.S. navigable waters plus the land and resources on and under them; waters and fishery resources where the U.S. claims exclusive fishery management; the seabed and subsoil of the Outer Continental Shelf, its resources, and the waters above it; and the recreational, economic, and scenic values of those waters and resources. "Secretary" means the head of the department that runs the Coast Guard, except for the Saint Lawrence Seaway where it means the Secretary of Transportation. "Navigable waters of the United States" includes all waters of the territorial sea as described in Presidential Proclamation No. 5928 of December 27, 1988.

Full Legal Text

Title 46, §70031

Shipping, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

As used in subchapters I through III and this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1)The term “marine environment” means—
(A)the navigable waters of the United States and the land and resources therein and thereunder;
(B)the waters and fishery resources of any area over which the United States asserts exclusive fishery management authority;
(C)the seabed and subsoil of the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States, the resources thereof, and the waters superjacent thereto; and
(D)the recreational, economic, and scenic values of such waters and resources.
(2)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, except that such term means the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the application of this chapter to the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
(3)The term “navigable waters of the United States” includes all waters of the territorial sea of the United States as described in Presidential Proclamation No. 5928 of December 27, 1988.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Presidential Proclamation No. 5928, referred to in par. (3), is set out under section 1331 of Title 43, Public Lands.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “I through III” for “A through C” in introductory provisions.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

46 U.S.C. § 70031

Title 46, Shipping

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102