123STA T . 1 4 1 7PUBLIC LA W 111 – 11 —M A R .3 0, 200 9TI T LEX II —OC E ANS S ubti t le A—O c e an E xp l or ation PARTI—EX P LO RATIO NSEC.120 01. PUR P O SE. Thepur p os eo ft h i sp a rt is to esta bl ish the n ational o c ean e x ploration pro g ra m an d the national undersea research program w ithin the N ational O ceanic and A tmospheric Administration . SEC. 12002. PRO G R AM ES T A BLI S H E D . The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall , in consultation with the National S cience F oundation and other appropriate Federal agencies, establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that promotes collabora - tion with other Federal ocean and undersea research and explo- ration programs. To the extent appropriate, the Administrator shall see k to facilitate coordination of data and information management s y stems, outreach and education programs to impro v e public under- standing of ocean and coastal resources, and development and transfer of technologies to facilitate ocean and undersea research and exploration. SEC. 1200 3 .PO W ERS A N D DUTIES O F THE ADMINISTRATOR. ( a )INGE NE RAL . — In carrying out the program authori z ed by section 120 02, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall— (1) conduct interdisciplinary voyages or other scientific activities in con j unction with other Federal agencies or aca- demic or educational institutions, to explore and survey little known areas of the marine environment, inventory, observe, and assess living and nonliving marine resources, and report such findings
(2) give priority attention to deep ocean regions, with a focus on deep water marine systems that hold potential for important scientific discoveries, such as hydrothermal vent communities and seamounts; ( 3 ) conduct scientific voyages to locate, define, and docu- ment historic shipwrecks, submerged sites, and other ocean exploration activities that combine archaeology and oceano- graphic sciences; ( 4 ) develop and implement, in consultation with the National Science Foundation, a transparent, competitive process for merit-based peer-review and approval of proposals for activities to be conducted under this program, taking into consideration advice of the B oard established under section 1200 5
(5) enhance the technical capability of the U nited States marine science community by promoting the development of improved oceanographic research, communication, navigation, and data collection systems, as well as underwater platforms and sensor and autonomous vehicles; and ( 6 ) establish an ocean exploration forum to encourage part- nerships and promote communication among experts and other 3 3 USC 3 40 3 . 33 USC 340 2 . 33 USC 340 1 .
