PUBLIC LAW 96-283—JUNE 28, 1980
94 STAT. 568
Less costly technology. Temporary suspension.
30 USC 1419.
under this title shall be designed to assure diligent development. Each licensee shall pursue diligently the activities described in the exploration plan of the licensee, and each permittee shall pursue diligently the activities described in the recovery plan of the permittee. (b) EXPENDITURES.—Each license shall require such periodic reasonable expenditures for exploration by the licensee as the Administrator shall establish, taking into account the size of the area of the deep seabed to which the exploration plan associated with the license applies and the amount of funds which is estimated by the Administrator to be required for commercial recovery of hard mineral resources to begin within the time limit established by the Administrator. Such required expenditures shall not be established at a level which would discourage exploration by persons with less costly technology than is prevalently in use. (c) COMMERCIAL RECOVERY.—Once commercial recovery is achieved, the Administrator shall, within reasonable limits and taking into consideration all relevant factors, require the permittee to maintain commercial recovery throughout the period of the permit; except that the Administrator shall for good cause shown, including force majeure, adverse economic conditions, or other circumstances beyond the control of the permittee, authorize the temporary suspension of commercial recovery activities. The duration of such a suspension shall not exceed one year at any one time, unless the Administrator determines that conditions justify an extension of the suspension. SEC. 109. PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. (a) ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT—(1) DEEP OCEAN MINING ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY (DOMES).—The Administrator shall expand and
Plan, submittal to Congress.
accelerate the program assessing the effects on the environment from exploration and commercial recovery activities, including seabased processing and the disposal at sea of processing wastes, so as to provide an assessment, as accurate as practicable, of environmental impacts of such activities for the implementation of subsections (b), (c), and (d). (2) SUPPORTING OCEAN RESEARCH.—The Administrator also shall conduct a continuing program of ocean research to support environmental assessment activity through the period of exploration and commercial recovery authorized by this Act. The program shall include the development, acceleration, and expansion, as appropriate, of studies of the ecological, geological, and physical aspects of the deep seabed in general areas of the ocean where exploration and commercial development under the authority of this Act are likely to occur, including, but not limited to— (A) natural diversity of the deep seabed biota; (B) life histories of major benthic, midwater, and surface organisms most likely to be affected by commercial recovery activities; (C) long- and short-term effects of commercial recovery on the deep seabed biota; and (D) assessment of the effects of seabased processing activities. Within 160 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall prepare a plan to carry out the program described in this subsection, including necessary funding levels for the next five fiscal years, and shall submit the plan to the Congress. (b)
TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND RESTRICTIONS.—Each license
and
permit issued under this title shall contain such terms, conditions,
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