U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 1279e. Loan guarantees for shipyard modernization and improvement

(a) General authority

The Administrator, under section 1273 (a) of this Appendix and subject to the terms the Administrator shall prescribe, may guarantee or make a commitment to guarantee the payment of the principal of, and the interest on, an obligation for advanced shipbuilding technology and modern shipbuilding technology of a general shipyard facility located in the United States.

(b) Applicable laws, requirements, regulations, and procedures

Guarantees or commitments to guarantee under this section are subject to the extent applicable to all the laws, requirements, regulations, and procedures that apply to guarantees or commitments to guarantee made under this subchapter, except that guarantees or commitments to guarantee made under this section may be in the aggregate principal amount that does not exceed 871/2 percent of the actual cost of the advanced shipbuilding technology or modern shipbuilding technology.

The Administrator may accept the transfer of funds from any other department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government and may use those funds to cover the cost (as defined in section 661a of title 2) of making guarantees or commitments to guarantee loans entered into under this section.

(d) Definitions

For purposes of this section:

(1) The term “advanced shipbuilding technology” includes—

(A) numerically controlled machine tools, robots, automated process control equipment, computerized flexible manufacturing systems, associated computer software, and other technology for improving shipbuilding and related industrial production which advance the state-of-the-art; and

(B) novel techniques and processes designed to improve shipbuilding quality, productivity, and practice, and to promote sustainable development, including engineering design, quality assurance, concurrent engineering, continuous process production technology, energy efficiency, waste minimization, design for recyclability or parts reuse, inventory management, upgraded worker skills, and communications with customers and suppliers.

(2) The term “modern shipbuilding technology” means the best available proven technology, techniques, and processes appropriate to enhancing the productivity of shipyards.

(3) The term “general shipyard facility” means—

(A) for operations on land—

(i) any structure or appurtenance thereto designed for the construction, repair, rehabilitation, refurbishment or rebuilding of any vessel (as defined in title 1) and including graving docks, building ways, ship lifts, wharves, and pier cranes;

(ii) the land necessary for any structure or appurtenance described in clause (i); and

(iii) equipment that is for the use in connection with any structure or appurtenance and that is necessary for the performance of any function referred to in subparagraph (A);

(B) for operations other than on land, any vessel, floating drydock or barge built in the United States and used for, equipped to be used for, or of a type that is normally used for activities referred to in subparagraph (A)(i) of this paragraph.

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