43 U.S.C. § 2103 Rights of Access

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: prefLabel,label,title,shortLabel
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-19 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/06/2023)
• Citation: 43 U.S.C. § 2103

(a) Access rights

In order to-

(1) clarify that State waters and shipwrecks offer recreational and educational opportunities to sport divers and other interested groups, as well as irreplaceable State resources for tourism, biological sanctuaries, and historical research; and

(2) provide that reasonable access by the public to such abandoned shipwrecks be permitted by the State holding title to such shipwrecks pursuant to section 2105 of this title,

it is the declared policy of the Congress that States carry out their responsibilities under this chapter to develop appropriate and consistent policies so as to-

(A) protect natural resources and habitat areas;

(B) guarantee recreational exploration of shipwreck sites; and

(C) allow for appropriate public and private sector recovery of shipwrecks consistent with the protection of historical values and environmental integrity of the shipwrecks and the sites.