Trump Directs Feds to Map the Ocean Floor, Streamline Permitting

President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Nov. 19 to map the ocean floor off the U.S. coastline, including off the coast of Alaska.

The effort is part of a broader push to better understand the oceans and streamline permitting for ocean exploration.

Within 180 days, the administration’s Ocean Policy Committee, working in tandem with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will propose a plan to map the nation’s exclusive economic zone and identify priority areas within it.

Trump also directed NOAA to work with Alaska and the Alaska Mapping Executive Committee to draft a strategy for mapping the state’s coastline. ...