US Code : Title 33, Section 1318

United States Code
- TITLE 33 - NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS
  - CHAPTER 26 - WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
    - SUBCHAPTER III - STANDARDS AND ENFORCEMENT

Sec. 1318. Records and reports; inspections

(a) Maintenance; monitoring equipment; entry; access to information
Whenever required to carry out the objective of this chapter, including but not limited to (1) developing or assisting in the development of any effluent limitation, or other limitation, prohibition, or effluent standard, pretreatment standard, or standard of performance under this chapter; (2) determining whether any person is in violation of any such effluent limitation, or other limitation, prohibition or effluent standard, pretreatment standard, or standard of performance; (3) any requirement established under this section; or (4) carrying out sections 1315, 1321, 1342, 1344 (relating to State permit programs), 1345, and 1364 of this title -
- (A) the Administrator shall require the owner or operator of
  any point source to (i) establish and maintain such records, (ii)
  make such reports, (iii) install, use, and maintain such
  monitoring equipment or methods (including where appropriate,
  biological monitoring methods), (iv) sample such effluents (in
  accordance with such methods, at such locations, at such
  intervals, and in such manner as the Administrator shall
  prescribe), and (v) provide such other information as he may
  reasonably require; and
- (B) the Administrator or his authorized representative
  (including an authorized contractor acting as a representative of
  the Administrator), upon presentation of his credentials -
  - (i) shall have a right of entry to, upon, or through any
    premises in which an effluent source is located or in which any
    records required to be maintained under clause (A) of this
    subsection are located, and
  - (ii) may at reasonable times have access to and copy any
    records, inspect any monitoring equipment or method required
    under clause (A), and sample any effluents which the owner or
    operator of such source is required to sample under such
    clause.

(b) Availability to public; trade secrets exception; penalty for
disclosure of confidential information
Any records, reports, or information obtained under this section (1) shall, in the case of effluent data, be related to any applicable effluent limitations, toxic, pretreatment, or new source performance standards, and (2) shall be available to the public, except that upon a showing satisfactory to the Administrator by any person that records, reports, or information, or particular part thereof (other than effluent data), to which the Administrator has access under this section, if made public would divulge methods or processes entitled to protection as trade secrets of such person, the Administrator shall consider such record, report, or information, or particular portion thereof confidential in accordance with the purposes of section 1905 of title 18. Any authorized representative of the Administrator (including an authorized contractor acting as a representative of the Administrator) who knowingly or willfully publishes, divulges, discloses, or makes known in any manner or to any extent not authorized by law any information which is required to be considered confidential under this subsection shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the Administrator or an authorized representative of the Administrator (including any authorized contractor acting as a representative of the Administrator) from disclosing records, reports, or information to other officers, employees, or authorized representatives of the United States concerned with carrying out this chapter or when relevant in any proceeding under this chapter.

(c) Application of State law
Each State may develop and submit to the Administrator procedures under State law for inspection, monitoring, and entry with respect to point sources located in such State. If the Administrator finds that the procedures and the law of any State relating to inspection, monitoring, and entry are applicable to at least the same extent as those required by this section, such State is authorized to apply and enforce its procedures for inspection, monitoring, and entry with respect to point sources located in such State (except with respect to point sources owned or operated by the United States).

(d) Access by Congress
Notwithstanding any limitation contained in this section or any other provision of law, all information reported to or otherwise obtained by the Administrator (or any representative of the Administrator) under this chapter shall be made available, upon written request of any duly authorized committee of Congress, to such committee.

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