Open Government at the FMC

The Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative focuses on open, accountable, and accessible government. The FMC has a long history of, and commitment to, the three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration with the public in order to foster the foundation for an open government.

Transparency

Government should provide the public with information about what it is doing, to the extent practicable, so that it can be held accountable.

FMC Operations

The FMC provides information about its actions in press releases, its electronic reading room which contains activity and proceeding logs, historical Commission decisions, rulemakings, investigatory orders, and industry studies and notices. Information on the Commissioners and their activities is also available on the Commission’s website.

The public can find out more information about the Commission and its activities online:

• See our organizational chart
• Learn more about our budget
• View the FMC’s Annual Reports
• Learn about the FMC’s Strategic Plan

Public information on the FMC’s regulated parties and filings is also available online:

• View a list of licensed ocean transportation intermediaries
• Read about agreement filings
• See commonly used forms

Plain Language

The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires federal agencies to write “clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.” The FMC strives to write all documents in plain language. FMC staff are trained on how to write clearly and efficiently.

FOIA

Consistent with our commitment to openness, when administering the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the FMC applies the presumption of openness when processing all FOIA requests, including proactively disclosing documents unless there may be confusion or harm caused by disclosure, and posting frequently requested information to its website. Learn more about the FMC’s FOIA process.

Participation

Government should actively solicit expertise from outside Washington so that it makes policies with the best information.

Some examples of guidance sought from the public and industry stakeholders are:

• Initiation or changes to Commission regulations through the rulemaking process
• Fact Finding Investigations, which seek information on industry issues or emerging trends
• The FMC’s 2014 Public Port Forums, initiated by the FMC to facilitate discussion among port representatives, industry stakeholders, and other interested parties, to address challenges facing U.S. ports

Collaboration

Government officials should work together with one another and with citizens as part of doing their job of solving national problems. The Commission actively seeks input from the public, industry, and other government agencies.

• Read about the FMC’s 2014 Public Port Forums
• Learn more about the FMC’s partnership in the Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center
• See how the FMC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection share information

Vulnerability Disclosure

Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

Future Progress for Open Government Initiatives

Moving forward, the FMC’s commitment to Open Government will create and publish an official FMC Open Government Plan.

Contact Us

Give us your thoughts on how we can better:

• Develop our Open Government Plan
• Improve the availability and quality of published information
• Prioritize information for publication

Submit your feedback.