Title 33Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§3402 Program established

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 47— - OCEAN EXPLORATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - EXPLORATION › § 3402

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

NOAA's Administrator must set up a national ocean exploration program inside NOAA, working with the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. It must promote teamwork with other federal ocean research programs and, when appropriate, help coordinate data systems, public education, and technology development and transfer to support ocean research and exploration.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §3402

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall, in consultation with the National Science Foundation and other appropriate Federal agencies, establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that promotes collaboration with other Federal ocean research and exploration programs. To the extent appropriate, the Administrator shall seek to facilitate coordination of data and information management systems, outreach and education programs to improve public understanding of ocean and coastal resources, and development and transfer of technologies to facilitate ocean research and ocean exploration and characterization efforts.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Pub. L. 117–263 struck out “and undersea” after “Federal ocean” in first sentence and substituted “research and ocean exploration and characterization efforts” for “and undersea research and exploration” in second sentence.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 3402

Title 33Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73