The Coast Guard today announced that the National Towing Safety Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in La Porte, TX. The meeting will include remarks from Coast Guard leadership, reports on challenges expected to impact the towing vessel industry and challenges faced as a result of the pandemic, an overview of the Houston-Galveston sector, information [...]
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White House Seeks Comments on Strategic Plan for Natural Capital Accounting
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) today announced the availability of a draft National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions, with comments due by Friday, Oct. 21, stating that the natural capital accounts will mean that “[n]ature will finally be reflected on our nation’s balance sheet.” Among other things, the draft Strategy notes that natural capital [...]
NMFS Announces Corrective Action for Alabama Restoration Project
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of the Swift Track Living Shoreline Project: Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment, which was prepared by federal natural resource trustee agencies for the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group. The plan includes approves a corrective action for the project, which was initially selected for implementation in 2014. Through the corrective action, rock material [...]
Nat’l Offshore Safety Advisory Cmte. to Hold Public Meeting
The Coast Guard today announced that the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in Spring, TX. The meeting will include an update from the Shell AUGER Subcommittee and a public comment session. The Committee provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security through the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant regarding [...]
Nominees Sought for American Fisheries Advisory Committee
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking nominations by Sept. 24 from individuals interested in serving on the American Fisheries Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations to the Commerce Secretary for Saltonstall-Kennedy financial assistance awards to address fishing community needs in optimizing economic benefits, as well as recommendations to assist in the [...]
NMFS Announces Louisiana Restoration Plan
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of a Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #8: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats and Finding of No Significant Impact, which was prepared by federal and state natural resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group. The plan includes ~$75 million to help restore wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats.
NMFS Announces Availability of Stock Assessment Reports
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced its release of 50 final 2021 marine mammal stock assessment reports that were updated and finalized. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare stock assessment reports for each stock of marine mammals occurring in waters under the jurisdiction of the United [...]
EPA Announces Gulf of Mexico Watershed Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency today announced over $11 million in grant funding for 26 projects to improve water quality, habitat, community resilience, and environmental education in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. Grant recipients include Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, University of Houston – Clear Lake, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program Inc., Louisiana State University, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mississippi [...]
NMFS Seeks Comments on Updated Recreational Fisheries Policy
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments through Dec. 31, 2022 on updates to the agency’s 2015 National Policy for Saltwater Recreational Fisheries. In announcing the update, NMFS said that NOAA “recognizes the need to adapt with a changing climate and the evolving needs of recreational fisheries and anglers,” with Asst. Administrator for NOAA Fisheries [...]
NOAA Seeks Comments on North Atlantic Right Whale Rule Changes
NOAA today announced that it is seeking comments by Friday, Sept. 30 on proposed changes to North Atlantic right whale protections, including modification of spatial and temporal boundaries of current speed restriction areas, inclusion of most vessels between 35-65 feet, creation of a Dynamic Speed Zone framework to implement mandatory speed restrictions when whales are known to [...]
