The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, within 30 days after March 30, 2009, shall convene or utilize an existing interagency committee on ocean and coastal mapping to implement section 3501 of this title.

The committee shall be comprised of senior representatives from Federal agencies with ocean and coastal mapping and surveying responsibilities. The representatives shall be high-ranking officials of their respective agencies or departments and, whenever possible, the head of the portion of the agency or department that is most relevant to the purposes of this chapter. Membership shall include senior representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Chief of Naval Operations, the United States Geological Survey, the Minerals Management Service, the National Science Foundation, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.

The Committee shall be co-chaired by the representative of the Department of Commerce and a representative of the Department of the Interior.

The co-chairmen shall establish a subcommittee to carry out the day-to-day work of the Committee, comprised of senior representatives of any member agency of the committee. Working groups may be formed by the full Committee to address issues of short duration. The subcommittee shall be chaired by the representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairmen of the Committee may create such additional subcommittees and working groups as may be needed to carry out the work of Committee.

The committee shall meet on a quarterly basis, but each subcommittee and each working group shall meet on an as-needed basis.

The committee shall coordinate activities when appropriate, with—

(1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee;

(2) international mapping activities;

(3) coastal states;

(4) user groups through workshops and other appropriate mechanisms; and

(5) representatives of nongovernmental entities.

The Administrator may convene an ocean and coastal mapping advisory panel consisting of representatives from non-governmental entities to provide input regarding activities of the committee in consultation with the interagency committee.

(Pub. L. 111–11, title XII, § 12203, Mar. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 1423.)