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Federal Agencies Working Together

This site contains information on MOUs that have been signed by the Director of the USGS. Links also are being developed to display information on MOUs that have been signed by the USGS Division Chiefs and their representatives.

Welcome to the USGS Web Site for Memorandums of Understanding (MOU). An MOU is a critical component of any formal arrangement for cooperation between two or more federal agencies. 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 agencies of the federal government. By providing a complete, up-to-date reference of active MOUs, we hope the amount of time and paperwork required to initiate new cooperative work may be significantly diminished. USGS policies for working with other federal agencies are described in the U.S. Geological Survey Manual, Chapter 500.3.

An 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 organizations. 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.

The USGS has active MOUs, signed by the Director, with numerous federal agencies. The USGS also has MOUs that describe and govern cooperation with agencies of foreign governments for our international activities.

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