1999 US Code
Title 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER 86 - EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION
Sec. 7705b - Seismic standards

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§7705b. Seismic standards (a) Buildings (1) Adoption of standards

The President shall adopt, not later than December 1, 1994, standards for assessing and enhancing the seismic safety of existing buildings constructed for or leased by the Federal Government which were designed and constructed without adequate seismic design and construction standards. Such standards shall be developed by the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction, whose chairman is the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology or his designee, and which shall work in consultation with appropriate private sector organizations.

(2) Report to Congress

The President shall report to the Congress, not later than December 1, 1994, on how the standards adopted under paragraph (1) could be applied with respect to buildings—

(A) for which Federal financial assistance has been obtained through grants, loans, financing guarantees, or loan or mortgage insurance programs; or

(B) the structural safety of which is regulated by a Federal agency.

(3) Regulations

The President shall ensure the issuance, before February 1, 1993, by all Federal agencies of final regulations required by section 4(b) of Executive Order numbered 12699, issued January 5, 1990.

(b) Lifelines

The Director of the Agency, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall submit to the Congress, not later than June 30, 1992, a plan, including precise timetables and budget estimates, for developing and adopting, in consultation with appropriate private sector organizations, design and construction standards for lifelines. The plan shall include recommendations of ways Federal regulatory authority could be used to expedite the implementation of such standards.

(Pub. L. 95–124, §8, as added Pub. L. 101–614, §8(a), Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3237.)

References in Text

Executive Order numbered 12699, referred to in subsec. (a)(3), is set out as a note under section 7704 of this title.

Report on Vulnerability of Buildings Owned and Leased by Government

Section 8(b) of Pub. L. 101–614 directed Comptroller General, not later than 18 months after Nov. 16, 1990, to report to Congress on vulnerability of buildings owned and leased by the Federal Government and on efforts of Federal agencies to improve the seismic resistance of buildings they own or lease, and for each such agency, the Comptroller General to enumerate the number of buildings owned or leased by the agency, the seriousness of the seismic risk to such buildings, and the value of the buildings at risk, as well as tabulate the expenditures each such agency had devoted to reducing earthquake damage and estimate the total expenditure necessary to address the problem adequately.

Ex. Ord. No. 12941. Seismic Safety of Existing Federally Owned or Leased Buildings

Ex. Ord. No. 12941, Dec. 1, 1994, 59 F.R. 62545, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in furtherance of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 [42 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.], as amended by Public Law 101–614, which requires the President to adopt “standards for assessing and enhancing the seismic safety of existing buildings constructed for or leased by the Federal Government which were designed and constructed without adequate seismic design and construction standards” (42 U.S.C. 7705b(a)), it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Adoption of Minimum Standards. The Standards of Seismic Safety for Existing Federally Owned or Leased Buildings (Standards), developed, issued, and maintained by the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction (ICSSC), are hereby adopted as the minimum level acceptable for use by Federal departments and agencies in assessing the seismic safety of their owned and leased buildings and in mitigating unacceptable seismic risks in those buildings. The Standards shall be applied, at a minimum, to those buildings identified in the Standards as requiring evaluation and, if necessary, mitigation. Evaluations and mitigations that were completed prior to the date of this order under agency programs that were based on standards deemed adequate and appropriate by the individual agency need not be reconsidered unless otherwise stipulated by the Standards.

For the purposes of this order, buildings are defined as any structure, fully or partially enclosed, located within the United States as defined in the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 7703(5)), used or intended for sheltering persons or property, except for the exclusions specified in the Standards.

Sec. 2. Estimating Costs of Mitigation. Each agency that owns or leases buildings for Federal use shall, within 4 years of the issuance of this order, develop an inventory of their owned and leased buildings and shall estimate the costs of mitigating unacceptable seismic risks in those buildings. The cost estimate shall be based on the exemptions and evaluation and mitigation requirements in the Standards. Guidance for the development of the inventory and cost estimates will be issued by the ICSSC no later than 1 year after the signing of this order. Cost estimates with supporting documentation shall be submitted to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) no later than 4 years after the signing of this order.

Sec. 3. Implementation Responsibilities. (a) The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for (1) notifying all Federal departments and agencies of the existence and content of this order; (2) preparing for the Congress, in consultation with the ICSSC, no later than 6 years after the issuance of this order, a comprehensive report on how to achieve an adequate level of seismic safety in federally owned and leased buildings in an economically feasible manner; and (3) preparing for the Congress on a biennial basis, a report on the execution of this order.

(b) The National Institute of Standards and Technology is responsible for providing technical assistance to the Federal departments and agencies in the implementation of this order.

(c) Federal departments and agencies may request an exemption from this order from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sec. 4. Updating Programs. The ICSSC shall update the Standards at least every 5 years. It shall also update the Standards within 2 years of the publication of the first edition of FEMA's Guidelines for Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings and Commentary.

Sec. 5. Judicial Review. Nothing in this order is intended to create any right to administrative or judicial review, or any other right, benefit, or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any person.

William J. Clinton.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in title 23 section 502.