33 U.S.C. § 3405 — Ocean Exploration Advisory Board

(a) The NOAA Administrator must appoint an Ocean Exploration Advisory Board made up of experts in relevant fields, including representatives of academic, commercial, nonprofit, philanthropic, policy, and Tribal entities. (1) The Board advises the Administrator about priority areas for surveying and discovery and about opportunities for outside collaboration and partnerships. (2) It helps the program develop a 5-year strategic plan for ocean, marine, and Great Lakes science, exploration, and discovery. (3) Each year, it reviews the quality and effectiveness of the proposal-review process established under section 3403(a)(4) of this title. (4) It identifies market barriers to developing or commercializing new ocean-mapping, exploration, and characterization products, processes, and tools. (5) It identifies best practices for improving data-management, processing, storage, and archiving standards. (6) It gives other assistance and advice the Administrator requests. (b) Chapter 10 of title 5: Section 1013 of title 5 does not apply to the Board appointed under subsection (a). (c) Nothing in this subchapter replaces or limits the Secretary of the Interior’s authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 and following).