4.0 Collect Necessary Data and Information



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1.0 Establish ECS Limits



6.0 Execute Through an Adaptive Strategy



Contents

The Opportunity

Background

Strategic Framework

Mission Map

1.0 Overarching Goal: Establish ECS Limits

2.0 Foundational Goal: Plan and Manage Effectively

3.0 Foundational Goal: Maintain Support and Understanding
4.0 Operational Goal: Collect Necessary Data and Information
5.0 Operational Goal: Manage, Analyze, and Compile Data

6.0 Operational Goal: Execute Through an Adaptive Strategy
7.0 Operational Goal: Sustain Effective Collaborations
Strategic Oversight and Management

Partnerships

Strategic Implementation

Other Opportunities

Tying It All Together

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4.0 Collect Necessary Data and Information

Definition: Collect data and information necessary to support legally sound, scientifically credible, and analytically
robust limits.

Everything within an analysis must be technically defensible: each data point must have a history and be justified
with supporting scientific and legal rationale.

Objectives:
4.1 Identify Existing Data - Identify existing information pertinent to potential U.S. ECS areas.
4.2 Gap Analysis — Identify where necessary information is lacking.

4.3 Data Acquisition — Acquire any necessary additional data through field work.



7.0 Sustain Effective Collaborations
Definition: Engage with other entities in diplomatic, scientific, and collaborative efforts.

Partnerships are critical to the success of this national effort. Opportunities to leverage resources must be
continually sought.

Objectives:
7.1 Scientific Collaboration ~ Actively promote those relationships facilitating scientific credibility.

7.2 Leverage Resources in Areas of Mutual Interest - Actively seek out those collaborative opportunities
that help stretch the Project’s resources.

7.3 Diplomatic Contacts — Foster international relationships that build legitimacy for establishment of the
USS. ECS.


5.0 Manage, Analyze, and Compile Data

Definition: Establish the data management architecture, conduct necessary analyses, compile all relevant
information, and prepare the presentation.

Data Management is pivotal for success. It will ensure that information is preserved, remains continually
accessible, and can be improved as future discoveries build understanding and knowledge.

Objectives:
5.1 Implement Data Management Practices ~ Establish and apply “best practices”: procedures for efficient data
and metadata access and use, for sample preservation and tracking, for recording all data-relevant materials, for

standardizing and protecting the data used and their descriptors, and for managing data archives.

5.2 Analyze Data - Make decisions on the various elements relevant to establishment of ECS limits: foot-of-the-
slope points, formula lines, and constraint lines.

5.3 Compile Data and Analyses - Prepare detailed technical information clearly describing the ECS delineation,
including supporting information and complete data sets.

5.4 Prepare for Public Release - Complete materials for release to the public and the international community,
which will require a team of individuals with technical, legal, policy, and outreach expertise.


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Strategic Framework

‘This Strategic Plan is a guide for the decade-or-more U.S. ECS Project. It is a touchstone providing consistency
and connecting all of the major components, diverse participants and stakeholders, and technical, policy, and
management developments over the entire extent of the Project. It identifies a series of Strategic Goals that

will help facilitate the acquisition and coordination of necessary resources. It also outlines project oversight,
management, and production in an integrated manner that ties activities to common goals. The framework
seeks to maintain the flexibility necessary to balance priorities and resources and for adapting to changes in
technological capabilities and diplomatic needs. This Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical need for partnerships,
diligent monitoring, and the reassessment of ongoing and pending activities - technically, administratively, and
fiscally. Fundamentally, it is a guide and a road map for decision-making as new knowledge and information
about the potential extent of the U.S. ECS is gained.



Tying It All Together

Moving forward with this project will involve a deliberate process to identify the policy and
technical requirements and clearly connect them back to the strategic goals and objectives.
This will be done through a series of subsequent companion documents to this Strategic
Plan, namely the ECS Project Plan and Annual and Multi-Year Implementation Plans. The
activities in these companion documents will translate back to this Strategic Plan as tasks
that fall under one or more of the strategic goals.

The ECS Project Plan will specify the technical requirements and assign priorities to
fulfill those requirements. It will identify individual work efforts but also define specific
interagency roles and responsibilities and resource requirements.

Execution of the activities identified in the ECS Project Plan will be developed further for
execution in Annual and Multi-year Implementation Plans. Annual Implementation Plans
will outline ECS efforts for a single fiscal year and address such activities as specific data
collection efforts, individual procurements, and analysis and documentation efforts.

Multi-year Implementation Plans will provide more generalized strategies for activities
spanning several years. For example, an appropriate database infrastructure must be
developed that will be relevant over several years. Similarly, education and outreach are
other activities that will span multiple years.

Specific performance measures will be a critical aspect in the Annual or Multi-Year
Implementation Plans. Without such metrics, it is impossible to measure progress towards
desired outcomes and to make necessary course corrections in a timely manner. Each
plan will also specify how the identified tasks will provide for the requisite integration

~ technically, administratively, and fiscally, This will be further accomplished by providing
lines of responsibility and accountability for each activity and expenditure beyond what is
outlined in the ECS Project Plan.



Partnerships

Successful execution of this project will require significant communication and integration across federal
agencies and across scientific, technical, legal, and policy disciplines. The nature of partnerships will
encompass a continuum from an informal sharing of information among participants to a high level of
interaction where common objectives are planned and implemented.

Partnership activities encompass a continuum
« Coordination - sharing information on similar projects

+ Cooperation - working together on parallel projects
with common objectives

+ Collaboration - sharing objectives and working together
on a common project

All efforts to address the strategic goals and objectives will be discussed collaboratively with the specific level
of partnership dependent upon the need.



Defining the Seaward Extent of U.S. Rights

The United States has an extended continental shelf (ECS) that is more than one million square
kilometers - an area nearly half that of the Louisiana Purchase - with energy and mineral resources that
are likely worth many billions of U.S. dollars. Defining and establishing the limits of the ECS in concrete
geographical terms would enable the U.S. to exercise its sovereign rights with significantly greater
certainty.

Background

Under international law, as reflected in the Convention on the Law of the Sea, every coastal State
automatically has a continental shelf out to 200 nautical miles (nm) from its coastal baselines, or out

to a maritime boundary with another coastal State. However, a coastal State may define a continental
shelf beyond 200 nm (called an extended continental shelf), if it meets the criteria outlined in Article 76
of the Convention. The process requires the collection and analysis of data that documents the natural
prolongation of the continental landmass beyond 200 nm as determined by the formulae and limit lines
in Article 76.



GMB Likely Ecs
Rs [[) Possible EcS

Areas with potential for a U.S. ECS include: the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Bering Sea, and some regions
in the Pacific Ocean. The ECS Task Force is undertaking in-depth analyses to ensure the U.S. defines the maximum shelf
consistent with international law. This map shows potential ECS areas (in yellow). Areas in blue are the 200-mile Exclusive
i Economic Zones of the U.S.



3.0 Maintain Support and Understanding

Definition: Build the network necessary to ensure multi-year implementation through the effective
communication of goals, progress, requirements, and benefits of an extended continental shelf.

An effective communications plan is essential for maintaining focus on Project priorities; generating and
maintaining support among participants and stakeholders; and supporting a deliberative, thorough decision-
making process.

Objectives:

3.1 Partnerships - Build relationships among Project participants, the academic community, and other
stakeholders that facilitate completion of each task, and encourage relevant value and analysis of data and
samples produced through the ECS.

3.2 Public Education - Keep the public informed as to the intent, status, and importance of the ECS Project.

3.3 Outreach to Decision-makers ~ Ensure that decision-makers are provided the information necessary to
make the best possible decisions.


Sovereign rights over the ECS include:

. Exploration, exploitation, conservation, and management of non-living resources of the seabed and subsoil
of the continental shelf, such as petroleum resources (oil, gas, gas hydrates), and mineral resources
(manganese nodules, ferromanganese crusts, and polymetallic sulfides)

. Exploration, exploitation, conservation, and management of living “sedentary” resources, such as clams,
crabs, scallops, sponges, corals, and mollusks

. Control over marine scientific research

. Control over the construction, operation, and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures
. Control over the delineation of the course for laying pipelines

. Regulation of drilling and mining

. Control and prevention of marine pollution in connection with certain activities on the ECS



6.0 Execute Through an Adaptive Strategy

Definition: Maintain flexibility throughout project implementation, recognizing that requirements may evolve
over the life of the Project in response to data analysis, interim results, and resource availability.

Flexibility is key: extensive analysis and re-analysis of information is expected and critical and may lead to
additional data collection requirements.

Objectives:

6.1 Track and Analyze the ECS activities of other States - Establish a process whereby the efforts, products,
and difficulties of other States are reviewed.

6.2 Investigate and Assess Alternative Strategies - Maintain a proactive process of seeking out improved
efficiencies.

6.3 Evaluate Expert Advice and Technological Advancements — Actively seek out and exploit new processes
and techniques.

6.4 Exploit Enhancement Opportunities - Monitor for, and integrate, those ongoing and planned research
and assessment efforts that will strengthen the U.S. ECS effort.

6.5 Ensure Mandated Regular Technical and Policy Reviews - To ensure that new information is used,
needed corrections implemented, and the results of performance metrics employed, specific periods for
review of the Project will be scheduled with outcomes and actions documented.


The National Effort to Establish the Full Extent
of the Continental Shelf of the United States

U.S. ~

Extended Continental Shelf



Goals

Strategic goals have concise definitions and component
objectives. While they are not likely to change throughout the
extent of the Project, new objectives may emerge and existing
ones may need to be revised. ‘Thus, to maintain relevance and
provide continued guidance, this Strategic Plan is considered a
living, flexible document.

‘The overarching goal is to ensure the delivery of the final
products and results necessary to fulfill the mission.
Operational goals address collection of information, analysis
and compilation of data, and the national and international
coordination, cooperation, and collaboration necessary to
define the full extent of the ECS. Foundational goals involve
long-term planning and management to obtain the policy and
financial support necessary for the entire Project to succeed.



Implementing the Plan

This Strategic Plan does not stipulate specific participant actions
or budgets, or provide specific timelines for activities. Such
details will be addressed in a series of companion documents.
The ECS Project Plan will outline discrete technical components
and tasks; annual and multi-year implementation plans will
outline how specific fiscal year resources will be obligated

and how activities and policies spanning multiple years will

be coordinated and executed, respectively. These companion
documents will link each specific component and task back

to one or more strategic goals and objectives and specify the
performance metrics and any course corrections necessary to
ensure success.

Strategic Plan

Mission
Vision
Goals

Objectives

ECS Project Plan

Long term plan on

where the U.S. will

collect and analyze
data to define its ECS

Multi-Year Implementation Plans
Specific technical tasks & sequencing

Annual Implementation Plans
Specific performance measures

Work Activities

An established and intern

nally recognized
extended continental shelf



Other Opportunities

The Task Force will endeavor to facilitate
other scientific opportunities, as appropriate,
that are not directly related to defining the
ECS. Interesting science aboard ECS cruises
has and will continue to provide some
immediate benefits. Data from cruises to the
Arctic Ocean revealed scours created by past
glaciers scraping along the ocean bottom,
and large craters thought to be formed by
gas seeps emanating from the ocean floor.
One of these missions even discovered a
3,000 meter tall underwater mountain,
subsequently named the Healy Seamount,
that had never been mapped before! These
data also provide the basic information
necessary to gain better scientific insights
into climate change, marine ecosystems, and
hazards resulting from extreme events, such
as earthquakes and tsunamis.


Strategic Implementation - An Iterative Process

The many component activities required to delineate our ECS will
be, by their very nature, iterative. As data are analyzed, additional
requirements will likely materialize. Task Force agencies should
expect to adjust throughout the entire ECS Project. However, such
uncertainties should be viewed as opportunities for a better use of
resources; the collection of additional, complementary information;
the strengthening of partnerships among participants; and
opportunities for required course adjustments.

While new assets may be required to address some gaps in
knowledge or to take advantage of significant technological
advances, existing programs and infrastructure should be utilized
whenever possible. Many of the mechanisms required to effectively
address the components of the ECS Project currently exist. Agencies
will capitalize on existing mechanisms to streamline implementation
by preventing redundancy, helping to develop and maintain
partnerships among participants, and ensuring that resources are
expended to address priorities.



Why does defining the seaward extent of U.S. rights matter?

The U.S., like other countries, has an inherent interest in knowing, and declaring to others, the exact extent of
our sovereign rights in the ocean. Specifically, a nation has sovereign rights over the resources on and under the
seabed, including petroleum resources (oil, gas, gas hydrates), “sedentary” creatures such as clams, crabs, and
corals, and mineral resources, such as manganese nodules, ferromanganese crusts, and polymetallic sulfides.
Defining those rights in concrete geographical terms provides the specificity and certainty necessary to protect or
use those resources.

Continental Shelf Extended Continental Shelf
(ECS)





government will ensure success and cost savings. Also, where appropriate,
the ECS Task Force will engage other countries to collect data.



VISION

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE OUTER

LIMITS OF THE U.S. EXTENDED CONTINENTAL SHELF

TO STRENGTHEN THE NATION'S SECURITY, PROMOTE

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, AND ENHANCE THE
STEWARDSHIP OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES



1.0 Establish ECS Limits

Definition: The United States will establish the limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nm through the
presentation of data and analyses to the international community, and through the publication of materials
defining the outer limits.

Review of the ECS activities of other States demonstrates that a full decade or more of data collection
and analysis is required for successful establishment of ECS limits. Continuing to commit resources and

maintaining momentum is prudent and cost-effective.



2.0 Plan and Manage Effectively

Definition: Efficiently implement processes and procedures across federal agencies and throughout each stage of
the Project.

A clear line of management and accountability is critical at all stages of activity: from the acquisition of
resources, to the performance of analyses, to the placing of lines on a map.

Objectives:
2.1 Staffing & Resources - Ensure that the resources are available over the full extent of the Project.

2.2 Prioritize Activities - Provide the guidance necessary to ensure that tasks are conducted in the most
efficient sequence and accomplished on schedule.

2.3 Internal Communications — Facilitate the communication necessary to ensure the most efficient
management and work processes among the many agencies involved in the Task Force.

2.4 Cyclical Monitoring and Evaluation Process - Conduct frequent and thorough reviews ensuring that work
efforts and products are meeting expectations and timelines.

2.5 Risk Management - Monitor analytical, field, and policy activities for unacceptable or questionable
investment efforts.


The National Effort to Establish the Full Extent
of the
Continental Shelf of the United States

A Strategic Plan produced by the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force

wwwstate.gov/g/oes/continentalshelf

uO |

Extended Continental Shelf

= Project


7.0 Sustain Effective Collaborations





U.S.
Extended Continental Shelf

Project

The Interagency Committee on Ocean Science and Resource Management
Integration (ICOSRMI), co-chaired by the Office of Science and Technology
Policy and the Council on Environmental Quality, established the Extended

Continental Shelf Task Force. The Task Force is chaired by the Department of
State with co-vice chairs from the Department of the Interior and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The ECS Task Force is coordinating
the collection and analysis of relevant data and will prepare the necessary
documentation to establish the limits of the U.S. continental shelf in accordance
with international law.

www.state.gov/g/oes/continentalshelf


Strategic Oversight and Management

The ECS Project will involve a wide spectrum of decisions ranging
from policy and management to resource acquisition and expenditure.
These decisions will cross levels of technical and administrative
boundaries and require a common focus on delivery of the final result
- establishment of the full extent of the U.S. continental shelf.

Success will depend upon the integration of oversight, management,
and production, as well as a clearly defined decision-making process.
These techniques will ensure adequate resources, the proper sequencing
of work activities, and accountability. In addition, there must be a free
flow of information supporting continuous monitoring and feedback,
promoting timely and effective course corrections as required.



Mission Map

Foundational)»,

Goals

e

S

Manage, Analyze,
and Compile Data
Execute Through an
Adaptive Strategy
Sustain Effective
Collaborations

Collect Necessary
Data and Information

| : : Plan and Manage Effectively |
| Maintain Support and Understanding



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2.0 Plan and Manage Effectively