The Administration recognizes that maintaining healthy ocean, coastal, and Great Lake waters is foundational to our Nation’s economy, security, global-competitiveness, and well-being.
On June 19, 2018, President Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 13840 to coordinate and streamline Federal actions related to ocean science and technology and ocean resource management through the establishment of an interagency Ocean Policy Committee.
- EO 13840, titled “Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States”
- Fact Sheet
- Guidance for Implementing Executive Order 13840
- On January 1, 2021, the Ocean Policy Committee was codified into law pursuant to Section 1055 of the “William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.”
The Ocean Policy Committee, co-chaired by CEQ and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), engages and collaborates with stakeholders to address matters involving the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters of the United States. The Ocean Policy Committee consists of two interagency subcommittees, the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee and the Ocean Resource Management Subcommittee, to support the committee and accomplish the goals laid out in EO 13840.
- Inaugural Ocean Policy Committee Meeting Summary (August 1, 2018)
- Ocean Policy Committee Meeting Summary (June 12, 2019)
- Ocean Policy Committee Meeting Summary (September 29, 2020)
- Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee Workplan (February 2019)
- Recommendations for the Implementation of Agency R&T Needs (September 2019)
- Ocean Resource Management Subcommittee Workplan (February 2019)
On November 14, 2019, CEQ and OSTP hosted the White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology which brought together over 100 leaders and experts to identify opportunities for partnerships to develop and employ science and technology for the conservation, management, and balanced use of America’s oceans.
- Summary of the 2019 White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology (November 2019)
- Fox Business op-ed: Droegemeier and Neumayr: Why Trump’s making ocean exploration a top priority (November 2019)
On November 19, 2019, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing Federal agencies to develop a National strategy to map the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone and a strategy to map the Alaskan coastline to advance our understanding of our oceans and coastlines and to promote efficient permitting related to ocean exploration activities.
- Presidential Memorandum, titled “Ocean Mapping of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and Shoreline and Nearshore of Alaska”
- Fact Sheet
- Request for information: Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (February 11, 2020)
- Request for information: Efficient Permitting on Ocean Research, Mapping, and Characterizing Activities (February 11, 2020)
- Request for information: Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology (February 18, 2020)
- Fact Sheet, Press Release, and What They Are Saying
- Section 2: National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (June 11, 2020)
- Section 3: Mapping the Coast of Alaska (June 11, 2020)
- Section 4: Recommendations for Increasing the Efficiency of Permitting for Ocean Exploration, Mapping, and Research Activities (June 11, 2020)
- Fact Sheet
Presidential Ocean Proclamations:
