oceanpolicy.com

The U.S. State Department today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama in support of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor. Announced by the Presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama during COP26 last year, CMAR is an effort to link ~500,000 sq. km. of existing marine protected [...]

In partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, NOAA today announced the award of $25.2 million in emergency grants to help coastal communities affected by storms and wildfires increase resilience to future events.  An additional $4.9 million in additional funding will be leveraged for the projects. Projects will be implemented in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, [...]

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Aug. 1 on its intention to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement to evaluate alternatives for identifying one or more Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. In announcing the request for comments, NMFS noted that the National Centers [...]

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Aug. 1 on the proposed sale of commercial wind energy leases in the Humboldt and Morro Bay Wind Energy Areas off California.  The areas proposed to be leased cover over 373,000 acres. Interior Sec. Deb Haaland called the announcement “another step [...]

President Biden today nominated Sue Moore and Andrew Read to serve on the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission.  Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearings have not yet been scheduled for either nominee. Moore is a Research Scientist and Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington’s Center for Ecosystem Sentinels and is a current Science Advisor to the [...]

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is extending the comment period on Draft 2022-2024 Climate Science Regional Action Plans through Friday, July 29. Comments were originally due Thursday, June 2. The plans are intended to increase the production, delivery, and use of climate-related information in furtherance of the agency’s living marine resources stewardship mission.  Climate Science [...]

The Coast Guard today announced its decision to withdraw a proposed rule on requirements for mobile offshore drilling units and other vessels conducting offshore activities with dynamic positioning systems. Originally proposed in 2014, the Coast Guard said it is withdrawing the rule due to industry changes including new standards and technologies, which make the proposed rule no [...]

In a paper published today in Frontiers in Marine Science, dozens of scientists evaluated the United States’ 50 largest marine protected areas (MPAs) and concluded that areas outside the central Pacific are “lightly or minimally protected against extractive or destructive human activities.”  The paper cites an “urgent need” to improve MPA quality, quantity, and representativeness. In order [...]

NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research today announced that the National Sea Grant Advisory Board will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, June 8. In addition to a public comment session, the Board will discuss and vote on recommendations for competitive research.

During a visit to Gulfport, MS today, Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe announced a $53 million investment in the Gulf of Mexico that will provide over $10 million annually through 2026 to support wetland restoration, stormwater treatment and control, nature-based infrastructure, resilient shorelines, and other initiatives “critical to creating a healthy and vibrant Gulf [...]