The Coast Guard today announced that it is seeking comments by Thursday, June 8 on an update to the Consolidated Port Approaches Port Access Route Studies (CPAPARS) that corrects graphical errors, amends certain recommended fairways, and provides additional explanation of the recommendations. CPAPARS, which was initiated to supplement the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study by focusing on port [...]
Archive | March, 2023
NOAA Announces $7.5M in Uncrewed Marine System Partnerships
NOAA today announced that $7.5 million will be allocated for nine projects in FY 2023 that utilize private sector operated uncrewed marine systems to collect data for NOAA missions. NOAA Uncrewed Systems Operations Center Director Capt. William Mowitt called uncrewed systems “an increasingly important tool to support NOAA’s mission of understanding and predicting changes in climate, [...]
White House Releases FY2024 Budget Proposal
The White House Office of Management and Budget today released its FY2024 budget proposal. Among other things, the budget includes the following: $26 million to develop the Conservation and Stewardship Atlas to “inform conservation decisions” $87 million to support national marine sanctuaries and marine protected areas “as part of the Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative,” with funding [...]
U.S. Announces Commitments at Our Ocean Conference
During the 2023 Our Ocean Conference in Panama on Mar. 2-3, the United States made 77 commitments valued at ~$6 billion in support of ocean health. Commitments included the following: 30 announcements (~$5 billion) related to climate change, including efforts to promote green shipping renewable energy, coastal community health, resilience, and vitality, and climate observation, modeling, and [...]
Agreement Reached on High Seas Treaty on Conservation and Sustainable Use
The Intergovernmental Conference on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) today reached agreement on text for an internationally binding legal instrument that, among other things, would establish a framework and governance structure for designating marine protected areas in international waters. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the [...]
DOI Announces Request for America the Beautiful Grant Proposals
The Interior Dept. today announced the release of the 2023 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge, with up to $116 million in grants are expected to be awarded this year. Grant pre-proposals are due by Thursday, Apr. 20, and full proposals (by invitation only) are due by Thursday, July 20. Awards are expected to be announced in [...]
