Department of the Interior

Departmental Manual

 

 

 

Effective Date:  12/2/08

Series:    Departmental Management

Part 307:  Department Management Committee

Chapter 2:  Senior Ocean Policy Team

 

Originating Office:  Office of Planning and Performance Management

307 DM 2

 

2.1     Purpose.  This chapter provides policy guidance and describes the responsibilities of the Department’s Senior Ocean Policy Team.

 

2.2     Scope.  The policy in this chapter applies to all activities of the Senior Ocean Policy Team and its collaborative efforts with the bureaus and offices of the Department.

 

2.3     Policy.  It is the policy of the Department to enhance collaborative and coordinated efforts among ocean and coastal-related programs in all bureaus; to support stewardship and collaborative conservation and management of our nation’s ocean and coastal resources. 

 

2.4     Authority.  Executive Order 13366 on Ocean Policy, signed on December 17, 2004, establishes the Committee on Ocean Policy to coordinate the activities of executive departments and agencies regarding ocean and coastal-related matters. 

 

2.5     Definition.  Ocean and coasts means the oceans, the Great Lakes, the coasts of the United States (including its territories and possessions), and related seabed, subsoil, and natural resources, as defined in Executive Order 13366.

 

2.6     Policy and Program Oversight.  The Deputy Assistant Secretary - Policy and Program Management provides policy and program oversight and directs the collaborative and coordinated efforts related to DOI’s ocean and coastal activities.  Responsibilities include:

 

          A.      Managing and overseeing activities and developing policies related to ocean and coastal programs.

 

          B.      Serving as the Department’s principal official for ocean and coastal-related initiatives.

 

          C.      Ensuring that the Department is represented at the appropriate level on the Committee on Ocean Policy, the Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management Integration, the Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources, and the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology and other intergovernmental committees.

 

          D.      Assisting the bureaus in implementing recommendations made by the Senior Ocean Policy Team.

 

          E.      Developing long-term partnership initiatives and cross-bureau budget initiatives.

 

          F.      Working with the Office of Budget and Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs on congressional and public outreach.

 

          G.      Overseeing DOI’s Senior Ocean Policy Team. 

 

          H.      Ensuring future ocean and coastal-related initiatives are addressed.

 

2.7     Senior Ocean Policy Team.  The Department of the Interior’s Senior Ocean Policy Team coordinates with the Committee on Ocean Policy and its subordinate committees and facilitates implementation of EO 13366 within Interior.

 

          A.      Membership.  The Senior Ocean Policy Team includes representatives from DOI bureaus and offices that have ocean and coastal responsibilities.  Representatives include but are not limited to the following:

 

                   (1)     Office of the Secretary

                             Deputy Assistant Secretary - Policy and Program Management

                             Deputy Assistant Secretary - Insular Affairs

 

                   (2)     Water and Science

                             Deputy Assistant Secretary - Water and Science

                             Deputy Director, U.S. Geological Survey

                             Associate Director, Geology, U.S. Geological Survey

                             Regional Director, Eastern Region, U.S. Geological Survey

 

                   (3)     Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

                             Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks

                             Deputy Director, Fish and Wildlife Service

                             Assistant Director, Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Service

                             Assistant Director, National Wildlife Refuge System, Fish & Wildlife Service

Assistant Director, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, Fish and Wildlife Service

                             Deputy Director, National Park Service

                             Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, National Park Service

 

                   (4)     Land and Minerals Management

                             Deputy Assistant Secretary - Land and Minerals Management

                             Deputy Director, Minerals Management Service

                             Associate Director, Offshore Energy and Minerals Management, Minerals Management Service

                             Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management

 

          B.      Responsibilities.  The responsibilities of the Senior Ocean Policy Team include and are not limited to:

 

                   (1)     Facilitating coordination and consistency among the ocean management agencies on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes policies. 

 

                   (2)     Ensuring that Interior has a coordinated approach to implementing ocean policies and ocean-related matters to more effectively fulfill Interior mandated responsibilities, including, but not limited to, budgeting, leveraging internal resources, and developing plans to maintain or increase Interior obligations under the Ocean Action Plan and its implementing organizations, as well as any subsequent ocean governance structure and plans.

 

                   (3)     Strengthening internal partnerships and identifying and fostering external partnerships and shared stewardship to more effectively advance Interior’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes mission.

 

2.8     Subcommittees/Working Groups.  The Senior Ocean Policy Team may establish subcommittees or working groups to address specific issues related to the program in subject areas such as internal and external communications, Congressional relations, conservation partnerships, science needs, public education, and related topics.  Subcommittees or working groups shall generally be designed to draw upon the expertise of Departmental employees who are not members of the Senior Ocean Policy Team.  Subcommittee team membership includes and is not limited to one or more representatives from the Minerals Management Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.  They may include the following: 

 

          A.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Technical Team.  The Ocean and Coastal Activities Technical Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Advising the Department’s Senior Ocean Policy Team on all aspects of implementing the Ocean Action Plan, and any subsequent ocean plans, at Interior, including coordination among the bureaus and offices to ensure consistency on ocean-related matters. 

 

                   (2)     Ensuring that the bureaus and offices are responsive to crosscutting budget requests.

 

                   (3)     Participating in interagency working groups and developing regional partnerships.

 

          B.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Communications Team.  The Ocean and Coastal Activities Communications Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Implementing the Communication Plan to ensure that communication between the Department and the bureaus is timely and efficient.

 

                   (2)     Communicating the Department’s ocean and coastal role externally.

 

          C.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Congressional Team.  The Ocean and Coastal Activities Congressional Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Identifying ocean and coastal-related legislation of interest to DOI.

 

                   (2)     Developing and providing Congressional briefings and corresponding material.

         

          D.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Education Team.  The Ocean and Coastal Activities Education Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Increasing employee and public awareness of DOI’s ocean and coastal roles and responsibilities.

 

                   (2)     Improving information access about DOI’s ocean and coastal activities, services, and resources.

 

          E.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Partnership Team.  The Ocean and Coastal Partnership Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Fostering partnerships between the bureaus and external partners to better leverage resources and joint stewardship, scientific, and management responsibilities.

 

                   (2)     Identifying pilot projects for advancing partnership goals.

 

F.      DOI Ocean and Coastal Activities Science Team.  The DOI Science Team is responsible for:

 

                   (1)     Providing a national ocean and coastal mapping, monitoring, and science framework to support DOI ocean and coastal-related activities.

 

                   (2)     Leveraging partnerships to focus on ocean and coastal science.

 

                    (3)     Collaborating on science, conducting gap analysis, and projecting climate-change impacts for marine-managed areas.

 

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