In a Memorandum issued today, President Trump declared it U.S. policy to “act boldly to safeguard our future prosperity, health, and national security through ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization” and to “support the conservation, management, and balanced used of America’s oceans by exploring, mapping, and characterizing the U.S. [Exclusive Economic Zone], including mapping the Arctic and Sub-Arctic shoreline and nearshore of Alaska,” including by supporting such activities in collaboration with non-U.S. government entities when appropriate.
The Memo directs the Council on Environmental Quality Chair and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director to coordinate the development of a national strategy for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, and enhance related opportunities for collaboration among interagency and non-U.S. government entities, with the Ocean Policy Committee tasked with developing a proposed strategy within 6 months to map the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and identify, explore, and characterize priority areas within it (working through its Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee in coordination with the NOAA Administrator).
In addition, within 6 months, the NOAA Administrator is tasked with developing a strategy to map the shoreline and nearshore of Alaska (in coordination, as appropriate, with the State of Alaska and the Alaska Mapping Executive Committee).
Lastly, within 6 months, the Ocean Policy Committee (working through its Ocean Resource Management Subcommittee) is tasked with identifying opportunities and recommended actions to increase the efficiency of the permitting and authorization processes for ocean research, mapping, and characterization activities across agencies.
The Memo notes that while federal waters contain “a vast array of underutilized, and likely many undiscovered, natural resources including critical minerals, marine-derived pharmaceuticals, energy, and areas of significant ecological and conservation value,” only ~40% of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone has been mapped, and much less when considering areas with natural resources and ocean systems that have been characterized by federal entities.
Observing that maps and charts with accurate and contemporary coastal elevation data “support economic growth, resource management, and the safety and security of coastal residents,” the Memo further notes that completed mapping “is especially lacking” for Alaska and the Alaskan Arctic.
