NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 37 



have value to United States industries and to Federal and State agencies con- 

 cerned with missions on the Continental Shelf ; to develop an engineering capa- 

 bility for operating on the Continental Shelf and to fashion and operate vehicles 

 and equipment for use in the waters above the Continental Shelf. 



DEFINITIONS 



Sec. 3. As used in this Act — 



(1) The term "Continental Shelf" means the seabed and subsoil of the sub- 

 marine areas adjacent to (a) the coast of continental United States to a depth 

 of two hundred meters or, beyond that limit, to where the depth of the super- 

 jacent waters admits of the exploitation of the natural resources of such areas; 

 or (b) the seabed and subsoil of similar submarine areas adjacent to the coasts 

 of islands which comprise United States territory. 



(2) The term "Commission" means the Marine Exploration and Development 

 Commission established under section 4. 



COMMISSION ESTABLISHED 



Sec. 4. (a) There is hereby established a Marine Exploration and Development 

 Commission to be composed of five members as follows — 



(1) two members to be appointed from private life by the President, by 

 and with the advice and consent of the Senate ; 



(2) the Secretary of Defense ; 



(3) the Secretary of the Interior ; and 



(4) the Secretary of Commerce. 



One of the members appointed under clause (1) shall be designated by the IPrfeg- 

 ident at the time of appointment as Chairman of the Commission. Each member 

 specified in clause (2), (3), or (4) may designate another oflBcer of his depart- 

 ment to serve on the Commission in his absence. 



(b) Members of the Commission appointed under subsection (a) (1) shall re- 

 ceive compensation at the rate of $100 per diem while engaged in the business of 

 the Commission, and while away from their homes or regular places of business 

 they may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as 

 authorized by law for persons in the service of the Federal Government who are 

 employed intermittently. Members specified in subsection (a) (2), (3), and 

 (4), including persons designated to serve in their absence, shall not receive 

 compensation in addition to that to which they are otherwise entitled as officers 

 or employees of the Government but shall be reimbursed for travel or other ex- 

 penses imcurred in carrying out the business of the Commission. 



(c) The Commission shall have an Executive Director, who shall be appointed 

 by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Ex- 

 ecutive Director shall serve at the pleasure of the President and shall receive 

 compensation at the rate prescribed for level IV of the Federal Executive Salary 

 Schedule established by the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964. Subject to 

 the general supervision of the Commission, the Executive Director shall perform 

 such of the functions conferred upon the Commission under this Act as the Com- 

 mission shall prescribe. 



(d) The Commission shall appoint and fix the compensation of such other 

 officers and employees as may be necessary to enable it to carry out its functions. 

 However, the Commission shall utilize the capacity of existing governmental 

 agencies to the maximum extent consistent with the purposes of this Act. The 

 Commission may also procure, without regard to the civil service laws and the 

 Classification Act of 1949, temporary and intermittent services to the same extent 

 as is authorized for the departments by section 15 of the Act of August 2, 1946, 

 but at rates not exceeding $75 per diem for the individuals. 



FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION 



Sec. 5. It shall be the function of the Commission to formulate and carry 

 out programs for purposes of exploration and development of the marine re- 

 sources of th Continental Shelf and waters above the Continental Shelf. Such 

 programs shall include but shall not be limited to the following: 



(1) Marine exploration, expeditions, and surveys necessay to describe the 

 topography and to identify, locate, and economically develop physical, chemical, 

 geological, and biological resources of the Continental Shelf; 



