(a) In General.—A duty assignment for an active duty member of the Coast Guard in support of a declaration of a major disaster or emergency by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) or in response to a spill of national significance shall be treated, for the purpose of section 701(e) of title 10, as a duty assignment in support of a contingency operation.

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(b) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Spill of national significance.—The term “spill of national significance” means a discharge of oil or a hazardous substance that is declared by the Commandant to be a spill of national significance.

(2) Discharge.—The term “discharge” has the meaning given that term in section 1001 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701).