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About the Committee on Ocean Policy

Recognizing the importance of the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes to the United States, Congress enacted the Oceans Act of 2000, which created the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The Commission’s comprehensive final report, released in 2004, covered issues that included resource protection, transportation, ocean resource use, science, education, mapping, and other topics.

To meet the challenges raised by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order on December 17, 2004, declaring that it shall be the policy of the United States to:

1. Coordinate the activities of executive departments and agencies regarding ocean-related matters in an integrated and effective manner to advance the environmental, economic, and security interests of present and future generations of Americans; and
   
   
2. Facilitate, as appropriate, coordination and consultation regarding ocean-related matters among Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, the private sector, foreign governments, and international organizations.

The Committee will advise the President and, as appropriate, agency heads on the establishment or implementation of policies concerning certain ocean-related matters. It consists of the following members of the President’s cabinet:

• Secretary of State,
• Secretary of Defense,
• Secretary of the Interior,
• Secretary of Agriculture,
• Secretary of Health and Human Services,
• Secretary of Commerce,
• Secretary of Labor,
• Secretary of Transportation,
• Secretary of Energy,
• Secretary of Homeland Security, and
• the Attorney General.

Other members of the Committee include the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs, Homeland Security, Domestic Policy, Economic Policy, and an employee of the Office of the Vice President.

To support its work, the Committee established the following ocean governance structure consisting of subsidiary bodies that coordinate with existing structures: Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management Integration, NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources, National Security Council Policy Coordinating Committee, and an expanded Ocean Research Advisory Panel.