It is unlawful for any person who is a United States citizen or national, or a foreign national in or on board an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship or on board any vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, or who is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States by an international agreement to which the United States is a party—

(1) to violate any provision of this chapter; or any rule, regulation, or order issued pursuant to this chapter; or any term or condition of any license issued to such person pursuant to this chapter;

(2) to refuse to permit any Federal officer or employee authorized to monitor or enforce the provisions of sections 9120 and 9153 of this title to enter or board an ocean thermal energy conversion facility or plantship or any vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, for purposes of conducting any search or inspection in connection with the monitoring or enforcement of this chapter or any rule, regulation, order, term, or condition referred to in paragraph (1) of this section;

(3) to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with any such authorized officer or employee in the conduct of any search or inspection described in paragraph (2) of this section;

(4) to resist a lawful arrest for any act prohibited by this section; or

(5) to interfere with, delay, or prevent, by any means, the apprehension or arrest of another person subject to this section knowing that the other person has committed any act prohibited by this section.

Terms Used In 42 USC 9151

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • facility: means an ocean thermal energy conversion facility. See 42 USC 9102
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • ocean thermal energy conversion facility: means any facility which is standing, fixed or moored in whole or in part seaward of the highwater mark and which is designed to use temperature differences in ocean water to produce electricity or another form of energy capable of being used directly to perform work, and includes any equipment installed on such facility to use such electricity or other form of energy to produce, process, refine, or manufacture a product, and any cable or pipeline used to deliver such electricity, fresh water, or product to shore, and all other associated equipment and appurtenances of such facility, to the extent they are located seaward of the highwater mark. See 42 USC 9102
  • officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
  • person: means any individual (whether or not a citizen of the United States), any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity organized or existing under the laws of any nation, and any Federal, State, local or foreign government or any entity of any such government. See 42 USC 9102
  • plantship: means an ocean thermal energy conversion plantship. See 42 USC 9102
  • United States citizen: means (A) any individual who is a citizen of the United States by law, birth, or naturalization. See 42 USC 9102
  • vessel: includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water. See 1 USC 3
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