![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080921112558im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
The Structure of the Gulf of Mexico Program
The Gulf of Mexico Program committees and subcommittees, under the Federal Advisory Committee Act umbrella, provide a forum for evaluating environmental priorities and discussing the coordination of Gulf of Mexico management plans. The Program infrastructure consists of the chartered Policy Review Board, the subcommittees - Management Committee and Citizens Advisory Committee- and the Focus Team Workgroups. The Program strives to attain a balanced membership representing all stakeholders of the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the enormous environmental and natural resource challenges facing the Gulf, it is essential for an ecosystem-based approach such as this, founded on the principles of bringing appropriate science together with financial and technical resources, to help the Gulf States and coastal communities effectively address their environmental problems with a broader regional and national context. The committees were established at the request of citizens of the Gulf of Mexico, and it is in the public interest to continue the Program as a non-regulatory effort striving to achieve environmental results through stakeholder involvement in designing solutions.
