Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)
U. S. Geological Survey Domestic Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with other Federal Agencies or Entities. This site contains information on domestic MOUs that have been signed by the Director of the USGS.
An MOU is a critical component of any formal arrangement for cooperation between two or more Federal agencies or entities. Our goal in creating and maintaining this site is to help make it easier for the USGS to coordinate, cooperate, and work together with other partners. By providing a reference of active as well as inactive MOUs, we hope the amount of time and paperwork required to initiate new cooperative work may be significantly diminished. In addition to the MOUs posted on this website, there are other MOUs on file in the Director's Office. However, while some of these agreements are active, others have expired and some are so old (1947) that they would require legal opinion before they could be used. A list of those agreements are found here.
A MOU usually describes, in broad general terms, an area of mutual interest or concern that may be addressed cooperatively by two or more agencies or entities. MOUs generally do not include specific information regarding detailed scope of work or the exchange of funds or human resources. An MOU may address cooperation that ranges from a single State to activities at multi-State, regional, multi-regional, national, or international levels. USGS policies for working with other Federal agencies are described in the U.S. Geological Survey Manual, Chapter 500.3.
MOU templates for non-federal or federal agencies:
The USGS has active MOUs, signed by the Director, with numerous Federal agencies and/or entities. The USGS also has MOUs that describe and govern cooperation with agencies of foreign governments for our international activities. For information on international agreements, contact the Office of International Programs.