NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a final rule effective Monday, Jan. 15 adding a definition of “habitat” to the Endangered Species Act implementing regulations related to critical habitat designations.
Archive | December, 2020
70 Groups Sign Ocean Policy Letter to President-elect Biden
NOPC today transmitted a letter to President-elect Biden requesting support for collaborative, transparent, and balanced multi-use ocean policies that support economic and environmental goals and help achieve mutual desires for greater economic prosperity and job creation, including through a vibrant Blue Economy The letter, which can be accessed through the hyperlink above, was signed by 70 groups representing a wide array of [...]
EPA Announces Renewal of Great Lakes Advisory Board
The Environmental Protection Agency today announced the 2-year renewal of the Great Lakes Advisory Board, which provides advice and recommendations on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and domestic matters related to implementation of the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Board’s primary objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on Great Lakes protection and restoration activities [...]
POTUS Appoints Arctic Research Commissioners
President Trump earlier this month announced his intent to appoint Thomas Dans, Crawford Patkotak, David Kennedy, and Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, Ph.D. to serve as Members of the Arctic Research Commission. Dans is Counselor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department, with previous experience including positions with Texana Pecan, Grand River Capital, and Agribusiness Partners [...]
OSPAR Commission Holds Virtual Annual Meeting
The OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the Northeast Atlantic today announced the outcomes of its annual meeting held virtually on Dec. 8-9. Discussion items included the development of OSPAR’s Northeast Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030, which will include targets to achieve a sustainably used and clean, healthy, and biologically diverse ocean and be adopted at a [...]
EPA Commemorates GLRI’s 10-Year Anniversary
The Environmental Protection Agency today commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has funded more than 5,400 projects worth in excess of $2.7 billion since its launch in 2010. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said that GLRI “has made a critical difference in dramatically improved water quality and sustainable habitat across the Great Lakes [...]
NOAA Issues Arctic Report Card
NOAA today announced the release of the agency’s 15th Arctic Report Card, which provides annual updates on surface air temperature, terrestrial snow cover, the Greenland ice sheet, sea ice, sea surface temperature, Arctic ocean primary productivity, and tundra greenness. Findings include the second-warmest land-surface air temperature on record, the second-lowest Arctic minimum sea ice extent on record, [...]
NMFS Announces New Tool for Analyzing Effects of Proposed Wind Projects
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of new tools established to provide information about the effects of proposed Atlantic offshore wind energy projects on fisheries and fishing communities. NMFS noted that there are currently over 16 wind energy areas stretching from Maine to North Carolina that could ultimately lead to the installation of over 2,100 [...]
NMFS Seeks Comments on Draft Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking public comments by Thursday, March 4 on draft 2020 marine mammal stock assessment reports (SAR’s) for marine mammals in the Atlantic (includes Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. territories in the Caribbean), Alaska, and Pacific regions. NMFS also seeks new information for strategic stocks that were not [...]
BOEM Announces Record of Decision on Gulf of Mexico G&G Activities
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the availability of a Record of Decision for the 2017 Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for proposed geological and geophysical activities in the Gulf of Mexico (the announcement was later published on Dec. 4). The Record of Decision allows geological and geophysical activities to continue to be permitted and authorized, [...]
