IIRC, the US Coast Guard cannot provide gas to stranded boats that simply ran out of fuel because they were sued by companies that provide that service.
Do you have a reference or citation for this? I looked for the case, but couldn't turn anything up. It seems extraordinary, especially because the federal government would seemingly have sovereign immunity from such a lawsuit, unless it was somehow a taking.
It was told to me by a coast guard helicopter pilot that I grew up with. Not one prone to exaggeration. I've also heard from boaters that it is kind of general knowledge to say that you are having an emergency vs out of gas if find yourself stranded.
Edit: Here is the best I can find. It sounds like it was a congressional mandate from 1983:
