118 STAT. 1075 PUBLIC LAW 108–293—AUG. 9, 2004 ‘‘(ii) REAL PROPERTY PURCHASED ON OR AFTER MAY 31, 1997.—With respect to real property purchased on or after May 31, 1997, until the Secretary promulgates the regulations described in clause (ii), the procedures of the American Society for Testing and Materials, including the document known as ‘Standard E1527– 97’, entitled ‘Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process’, shall satisfy the requirements in subpara graph (A). ‘‘(E) SITE INSPECTION AND TITLE SEARCH.—In the case of real property for residential use or other similar use purchased by a nongovernmental or noncommercial entity, inspection and title search of the facility and the real property on which the facility is located that reveal no basis for further investigation shall be considered to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph. ‘‘(5) PREVIOUS OWNER OR OPERATOR.—Nothing in this para graph or in section 1003(a)(3) shall diminish the liability of any previous owner or operator of such facility who would otherwise be liable under this Act. Notwithstanding this para graph, if a responsible party obtained actual knowledge of the discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil at such facility when the responsible party owned the facility and then subsequently transferred ownership of the facility or the real property on which the facility is located to another person without disclosing such knowledge, the responsible party shall be treated as liable under 1002(a) and no defense under section 1003(a) shall be available to such responsible party. ‘‘(6) LIMITATION ON DEFENSE.—Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the liability under this Act of a responsible party who, by any act or omission, caused or contributed to the discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil which is the subject of the action relating to the facility.’’. SEC. 704. OIL SPILL RECOVERY INSTITUTE. Section 5006 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2736) is amended— (1) in the first subsection (c), as added by section 1102(b)(4) of Public Law 104–324 (110 Stat. 3965), by striking ‘‘with the eleventh year following the date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996,’’ and inserting ‘‘October 1, 2012’’; and (2) by redesignating the second subsection (c) as subsection (d). SEC. 705. ALTERNATIVES. Section 4115(e)(3) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (46 U.S.C. 3703a note) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘(3) No later than one year after the date of enactment of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, the Secretary shall, taking into account the recommendations contained in the report by the Marine Board of the National Research Council entitled ‘Environmental Performance of Tanker Design in Collision and Grounding’ and dated 2001, establish and publish an environmental equivalency evaluation index (including the methodology to develop that index) to assess overall outflow performance due to collisions and Deadline.
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