§ 1904. Marine mineral research centers

• (a) No later than 90 days after October 19, 1996 , the Secretary shall designate 3 centers for marine mineral research and related activities.
• (b) One center shall concentrate primarily on research in the continental shelf regions of the United States, 1 center shall concentrate primarily on research in deep seabed and near-shore environments of islands, and 1 center shall concentrate primarily on research in arctic and cold water regions.
• (c) In designating a center under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to a university that—
  • (1) administers a federally funded center for marine minerals research;
  • (2) matriculates students for advanced degrees in marine geological sciences, nonenergy natural resources, and related fields of science and engineering;
  • (3) is a United States university with established programs and facilities that primarily focus on marine mineral resources;
  • (4) has engaged in collaboration and cooperation with industry, governmental agencies, and other universities in the field of marine mineral resources;
  • (5) has demonstrated significant engineering, development, and design experience in two or more of the following areas; 1 1 So in original. The semicolon probably should be a colon.
    • (A) seabed exploration systems;
    • (B) marine mining systems; and
    • (C) marine mineral processing systems; and
  • (6) has been designated by the Secretary as a State Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute.
• (d) A center shall—
  • (1) provide technical assistance to the Secretary concerning marine mineral resources;
  • (2) advise the Secretary on pertinent international activities in marine mineral resources development;
  • (3) engage in research, training, and education transfer associated with the characterization and utilization of marine mineral resources; and
  • (4) promote the efficient identification, assessment, exploration, and management of marine mineral resources in an environmentally sound manner.
• (e) In distributing funds to the centers designated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, allocate an equal amount to each center.
• (f)
  • (1) Not more than 5 percent of the amount made available to carry out this section during a fiscal year may be used by the Secretary for expenses associated with administration of the program authorized by this section.
  • (2) None of the funds made available under this section may be used for the construction of a new building or the acquisition, expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing building (including site grading and improvement and architect fees).