The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint a Board to provide strategic guidance, advice, and oversight to the Gulf Research Program’s Board on Gulf Environmental Protection and Stewardship (GEPS) Program Unit.
The board will advise the GRP on its programmatic focus areas related to the protection and stewardship of environmental resources in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region related to the effects of climate change; offshore hydrocarbon production and transportation; and other human activities. In this role, the board will consider the substantial changes likely in climate, energy, and socio-environmental conditions across the Gulf region during the next several decades. It will also continue to emphasize strengthening the connections between science and decision-making to better protect the environment of the Gulf region. Specifically, the board will:

• Provide guidance on the identification and development of focus areas that are timely, relevant, have strong potential for impact, and where GRP could play an especially catalytic and/or distinctive role in addressing important challenges and unmet needs;
• Provide guidance on the development, design, implementation, and evaluation of Board activities, which will include studies, grant opportunities, workshops, collaboration with other Academies boards, and other efforts;
• Provide guidance on environmental programmatic elements of GRP major initiatives; and
• Provide oversight to ensure that GEPS activities are meeting appropriate goals, are conducted based on merit and integrity, and are achieving their potential impact.