ORAP History

The ORAP was originally chartered under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which awarded management of the NOPP to the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, later the Consortium for Ocean Leadership.  From 2006-2011, the ORAP operated as the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel (ORRAP).  

The Panel returned to its original name, ORAP, in 2011. ONR managed NOPP and ORAP until the passage of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116-283), which re-authorized NOPP and moved responsibility for the NOPP under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The Act directed the Ocean Policy Committee to establish the ORAP and outlined membership requirements and duties.

The new ORAP was subsequently chartered on May 24, 2022.  Under the rules of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the ORAP will be re-chartered every two years commencing from its original charter date.