33 U.S.C. § 3408 — National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council

**(a) Establishment** The President shall establish a council, to be known as the “National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council” (in this section referred to as the “Council”). **(b) Purpose** The Council shall— (1) update national priorities for ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization; and (2) coordinate and facilitate activities to advance those priorities. **(c) Reporting** The Council shall report to the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of the Ocean Policy Committee established under [section 8932(c) of title 10](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section8932/c&num=0&edition=prelim). **(d) Membership** The Council shall be composed of senior-level representatives from the appropriate Federal agencies. **(e) Co-Chairs** The Council shall be co-chaired by— (1) two senior-level representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and (2) one senior-level representative from the Department of the Interior. **(f) Duties** The Council shall— (1) set national ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization priorities and strategies; (2) cultivate and facilitate transparent and sustained partnerships among Federal and State agencies, Indian Tribes, private industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations to conduct ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization activities and related technology development; (3) coordinate improved processes for data compilation, management, access, synthesis, and visualization with respect to ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization, with a focus on building on existing ocean data management systems and with appropriate safeguards on the public accessibility of data to protect national security equities, as appropriate; (4) encourage education, workforce training, and public engagement activities that— (A) advance interdisciplinary principles that contribute to ocean mapping, exploration, research, and characterization; (B) improve public engagement with and understanding of ocean science; and (C) provide opportunities for underserved populations; (5) coordinate activities as appropriate with domestic and international ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization initiatives or programs; and (6) establish and monitor metrics to track progress in achieving the priorities set under paragraph (1). **(g) Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization** (1) **Establishment** — The President shall establish a new interagency working group to be known as the “Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization”. (2) **Membership** — The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization shall be comprised of senior representatives from Federal agencies with ocean exploration and characterization responsibilities. (3) **Functions** — The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization shall support the Council and the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of the Ocean Policy Committee established under [section 8932(c) of title 10](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section8932/c&num=0&edition=prelim) on ocean exploration and characterization activities and associated technology development across the Federal Government, State governments, Indian Tribes, private industry, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. **(h) Oversight** The Council shall oversee— (1) the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization established under subsection (g)(1); and (2) the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping under [section 3502 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title33-section3502&num=0&edition=prelim). **(i) Plan** (1) **In general** — Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, the Council shall develop or update and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan for an integrated cross-sectoral ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization initiative. (2) **Elements** — The plan required by paragraph (1) shall— (A) discuss the utility and benefits of ocean exploration and characterization; (B) identify and describe national ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization priorities; (C) identify and describe Federal and federally funded ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization programs; (D) facilitate and incorporate non-Federal input into national ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization priorities; (E) ensure effective coordination of ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization activities among programs described in subparagraph (C); (F) identify opportunities for combining overlapping or complementary needs, activities, and resources of Federal agencies and non-Federal organizations relating to ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization while not reducing benefits from existing mapping, explorations, and characterization activities; (G) promote new and existing partnerships among Federal and State agencies, Indian Tribes, private industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations to conduct or support ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization activities and technology development needs, including through coordination under [section 4102 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title33-section4102&num=0&edition=prelim) and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under [section 8931 of title 10](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section8931&num=0&edition=prelim); (H) develop a transparent and sustained mechanism for non-Federal partnerships and stakeholder engagement in strategic planning and mission execution to be implemented not later than December 31, 2023, for coordinating such activities with— (i) institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in [section 1001(a) of title 20](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1001/a&num=0&edition=prelim), the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and nonprofits; and (ii) international partners for activities relating to maritime areas (including the sea floor) beyond the jurisdiction of the Federal Government; (I) establish standardized collection and data management protocols, including with respect to metadata, for ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization which— (i) are publicly accessible and locatable via appropriate Federal repositories; (ii) can facilitate the integration of ocean data into products and use innovations from non-Federal partners; and (iii) have appropriate safeguards on the public accessibility of data to protect national security; (J) encourage the development, testing, demonstration, and adoption of innovative ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization technologies and applications; (K) promote protocols for accepting data, equipment, approaches, or other resources that support national ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization priorities; (L) identify best practices for the protection of marine life during mapping, exploration, and characterization activities; (M) identify training, technology, and other resource requirements for enabling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other appropriate Federal agencies to support a coordinated national ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization effort; (N) identify and facilitate a centralized mechanism or office for coordinating data collection, compilation, processing, archiving, and dissemination activities relating to ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization that meets Federal mandates for data accuracy and accessibility; (O) designate repositories responsible for archiving and managing ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization data; (P) set forth a timetable and estimated costs for implementation and completion of the plan; (Q) to the extent practicable, align ocean exploration and characterization efforts with existing programs and identify key gaps; and (R) identify criteria for determining the optimal frequency of observations; and (S) provide recommendations, developed in coordination with the private sector, to improve incentives, access, and processes for the private sector to share ocean-related data with the public and Federal Government. **(j) Briefings** Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Council shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on— (1) progress made toward meeting the national priorities described in subsection (i)(2)(B); and (2) recommendations for meeting such priorities, such as additional authorities that may be needed to develop a mechanism for non-Federal partnerships and stakeholder engagement described in subsection (i)(2)(H). **(k) Appropriate committees of Congress defined** In this section, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means— (1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.