The Environmental Protection Agency today announced $12.5 million in funding for environmental justice grants in the Gulf of Mexico, with plans to award ~5 cooperative agreements of up to $2.5 million each and at least one grant per Gulf of Mexico state. The request for funding ends Monday, May 8. EPA Region 4 (MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, [...]
Archive | February, 2023
Biden Nominates Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs
The White House recently announced President Biden’s intent to nominate Mike Sfraga to be Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs. Sfraga was subsequently formally nominated. Currently chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Sfraga’s background includes previous positions with the Polar Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and University of Alaska. The State Department announced the establishment of this position in Aug. 2022.
BOEM Announces Proposed Notice of Gulf of Mexico O&G Lease Sale
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced its decision to public a Proposed Notice of Sale for a Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas lease sale to be held in Sept. 2023. Lease Sale 261 would offer ~13,620 blocks spanning 73.4 million acres of the Western, Central, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas. [...]
BOEM Seeks Comments on Proposed Archaeological Report Requirement
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Apr. 17 on its proposal to require lessees and operators to submit an archaeological report with any oil and gas exploration or development plan submitted to BOEM for approval of activities proposed in federal waters. Under current practice, such reports are [...]
ONMS Announces Updated Flower Garden Banks NMS Regulation
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) has announced the issuance of a regulation effective Mar. 16, 2023 that removes a section from existing regulations pertaining to the resolution of conflicting federal agency regulations by the ONMS Director. The revision was made in response to concerns from federal agencies that the existing regulations providing that a conflict between [...]
NOPC Releases First-of-its-Kind U.S. Marine Conservation Assessment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2023 National Ocean Policy Coalition Releases First-of-its-Kind U.S. Marine Conservation Assessment Report Identifies 4,200+ Conservation Areas Equal to ~500 Percent of U.S. Marine Waters The National Ocean Policy Coalition (NOPC) today released the first-of-its-kind assessment of U.S. federal and state conservation actions throughout the nation’s marine waters. Analyzing actions across [...]
E&E News: Oceans and Other Waters Already Very Protected, Report Says
E&E NEWS PM | As the Biden administration looks to boost conservation, including of the nation’s waters, an organization representing the interests of the oceans’ commercial and recreational users says existing marine conservation actions are already expansive. The National Ocean Policy Coalition released an assessment Thursday that found more than 4,200 sites, spanning more than [...]
FWS Seeks Comments on Draft Revised MMPA Stock Assessment Reports
The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, May 8 on draft revised marine mammal stock assessment reports for the Pacific walrus, the southwest stock of the northern sea otter, southcentral stock of the northern sea otter, and southeast stock of the northern sea otter. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the U.S. Fish and [...]
NMFS Announces Updated Guidance on MMPA Stock Assessment Reports
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of revised Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS Procedural Directive). The update follows a determination in 2020 that revisions were warranted, and implements major revisions related to the incorporation of other NMFS Procedural Directives, calculating the minimum population abundance in post-survey [...]
BOEM Announces New Standing Cmte. on Offshore Wind and Fisheries
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s establishment of the Standing Committee for Offshore Wind Energy and Fisheries. The 12-member Committee is tasked with providing ongoing assistance to BOEM regarding agency efforts to engage the fisheries community and serves as a forum for discussion on the state of science [...]
