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The Interior Dept. today announced the formal transfer of authority from the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to DOI’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement for the lead oversight of oil and gas platform decommissioning in the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Acting Asst. Interior Sec. for Land & Minerals Management Adam Suess called the transfer […]

President Trump today issued a Presidential Proclamation proclaiming May 22, 2025 as National Maritime Day.  The Proclamation notes the importance of shipping lanes, the U.S. Merchant Marine, and skilled merchant mariners “who support our economy and readiness in times of peace, crisis, and war,” adding that the country “is a proud maritime nation, and as President,

Following a formal request for a lease sale by a U.S. company and noting that the April 2025 Executive Order on Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals & Resources identified seabed mineral development as vital to U.S. national security, the Interior Department today announced its initiation of a multi-step process to consider a potential mineral lease sale in federal

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, July 21 on its initiation of a 5-year review for the endangered Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic salmon.  The review is being undertaken to determine whether the species should be delisted or reclassified under the Endangered Species Act.

In a voice vote today, the U.S. Senate passed the “Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act” (S. 216), a bill that among other things would reauthorize the Marine Debris Program with $15 million annually for FY 2025-2029, require the Marine Debris Foundation Board of Directors to appoint a Chief Executive Officer, and make the Foundation eligible for nongovernmental

The Interior Department today announced that it is seeking comments and information by Friday, June 20 to help identify existing regulations that can be modified or repealed to ensure that DOI administrative actions do not undermine the national interest and that DOI achieves a meaningful reduction in regulatory hurdles while continuing to meet statutory obligations, advance U.S. energy

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold public meetings in Cape Canaveral, FL on June 9-13.  Agenda items include a review of Executive Orders.

Following an April announcement that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would immediately halt all construction activities related to the Empire Wind offshore wind project “until further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis,” BOEM today amended the order to lift the halt on activities during the ongoing review. The

The State Dept. today announced that it will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 11 in preparation for the 110th session of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee, to be held in London on June 18-27. Agenda items to be considered at the IMO meeting include goal-based new ship construction standards, development of a goal-based instrument for maritime autonomous surface ships, development of