106 STAT. 4300

PUBLIC LAW 102-567—OCT. 29, 1992

(3) "Plan" means the NOAA Fleet Replacement and Mod-
ernization Plan described in section 604.

(4) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Commerce.

(5) "UNOLS" means University-National Oceanographic
Laboratory System.

33 USC 891a. SEC. 60S. FLEET REPLACEMENT AND MODERNIZATION PROGRAM.

The Secretary is authorized to implement, subject to the
requirements of this Act, a 15-year program to replace and modern-
ize the NOAA fleet.

33 USC 891b. SEC. 604. FLEET REPLACEMENT AND MODERNIZATION PLAN.

(a) IN GENERAL.—To carry out the program authorized in sec-
tion 603, the Secretary shall develop and submit to Congress a
replacement and modernization Plan for the NOAA fleet covering
the years authorized under section 610.

(b) TIMING.—The Plan required in subsection (a) shall be
submitted to Congress within 30 days of the date of enactment
of this Act, and updated on an annual basis.

(c) PLAN ELEMENTS.—The Plan required in subsection (a) shall
include the following—

(1) the number of vessels proposed to be modernized or
replaced, the schedule for their modernization or replacement,
and anticipated funding requirements;

(2) the number of vessels proposed to be constructed, leased,
or chartered;

(3) the number of vessels, or days at sea, that can be
obtained by using the vessels of the UNOLS;

(4) the number of vessels that will be made available to
NOAA by the Secretary of the Navy, or any other federal
official, and the terms and conditions for their availability;

(5) the proposed acquisition of modern scientific
instrumentation for the NOAA fleet, including acoustic systems,
data transmission positioning and communication systems,
physical, chemical, and meteorological oceanographic systems,
and data acquisition and processing systems; and

(6) the appropriate role of the NOAA Corps in operating
and maintaining the NOAA fleet.

(d) CONTRACTING LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not enter
into any contract for the construction, lease, or service life extension
of a vessel of the NOAA fleet before the date of the submission
to Congress of the Plan required in subsection (a).

33 USC 891c. SEC. 605. DESIGN OF NOAA VESSELS.

(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENT.—Except for the vessel designs identi-
1 fied under subsection (b), the Secretary, working through the Office

of the NOAA Corps Operations and the Systems Procurement Office,
shall—

(1) prepare requirements for each class of vessel to be
constructed or converted under the Plan; and

(2) contract competitively from nongovernmental entities
with expertise in shipbuilding for vessel design and construction
based on the requirements for each class of vessel to be
acquired.

Reports. (b) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary shall—

(1) report to Congress identifying any existing vessel design
or design proposal that meets the requirements of the Plan
within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act and