Editor

NOAA today announced that the Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Advisory Committee will hold its inaugural meeting on Feb. 1-2 in Silver Spring, MD (remote participation not available). The meeting will include open discussion and Q&A with NOAA leadership, as well as discussion of the Committee charge, nominations for Committee Chair and Vice Chair, federal law investments in areas-based […]

NOAA today announced that the Hydrographic Services Review Panel will hold a public meeting on Mar. 5-7 in San Pedro, CA (also accessible virtually). Agenda items include recent National Ocean Service activities including the update to the National Spatial Reference System, the status of NOAA’s navigation services in the context of recent federal laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Feb. 12 on its draft Environmental Assessment regarding potential impacts of wind energy-related leasing, site assessment, and site characterization activities in federal waters off Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. In conjunction with the comment period, BOEM will hold virtual public meetings on Tuesday, Jan, 30 and Thursday, Feb.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a public meeting on Jan. 29 – Feb. 1 in New Orleans, LA. The meeting will include an update from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico and opportunities to advance equity and environmental justice

NOAA today announced the National Marine Fisheries Service’s partnership with the Center for Enterprise Modernization as part of an effort to support North Atlantic right whale recovery efforts through a new ~$10 million project. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the partnership will focus on the development of whale detection, vessel strike avoidance, and on-demand (“ropeless”)

The U.S. Coast Guard today announced that the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting Feb. 5-7 in Arlington, VA. To be held in conjunction with the 11th Annual Maritime Security East Conference, the meeting will address topics including implementation guidance for regulations mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and active shooter/active threats in the maritime

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) recently announced that he is seeking public comments by Friday, Feb. 9 on his discussion draft legislation that would include a series of measures designed to facilitating wind energy permitting, coordination, and engagement, with Sen. Whitehouse calling offshore wind “an abundant resource that we have to harness to meet our climate and energy

The U.S. Coast Guard today announced that it is seeking public comments by Monday, April 8 on recommendations from the National Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee, which met in September and subsequently sent the recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Recommendations cover areas including: Best practices to ensure full crew access to all or parts of a vessel to

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Feb. 5 on its proposal to authorize Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC to take 14 species of marine mammals by Level B harassment, incidental to marine site characterization surveys in federal waters off New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The surveys would involve the use of a

NOAA has announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, Mar. 5 on its proposed revision and extension of an information collection related to socioeconomics of coral reef conservation, with NOAA saying that data gathered from the information collection will be used for research purposes and to measure and improve the performance of the agency’s reef protection