14 U.S.C. § 2508

(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. (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 ).