Department of Commerce March 22, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization (IWG-OEC) request public comment from all interested parties on the draft Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and Characterization of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (``Priorities Report''). The Priorities Report was developed per the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (``National Strategy'') and as detailed in the NOMEC Implementation Plan (``Implementation Plan''). To help ensure implementation of the National Strategy continues to be informed by all sectors, the NOMEC Council and IWG-OEC issue this notice to seek public comment on the specific thematic and geographic priorities for ocean exploration and characterization that were identified by Federal subject-matter experts. The NOMEC Council and IWG-OEC issue this notice on behalf of the Ocean Science and Technology Subcommittee of the Ocean Policy Committee, which is chaired by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).