Editor

The State Dept. recently announced that it will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 7 in preparation for the 12th session of the International Maritime Organization’s Subcommittee on Navigation, Communication, and Search & Rescue, to be held in London on May 13-22. Agenda items to be considered at the IMO meeting include routing measures and mandatory ship reporting systems, developments in Global Maritime Distress […]

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, June 24 on the renewal with revisions of an information collection related to renewable energy and alternate uses of existing facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf.  The information collection involves an estimated 485 annual responses, 44,178 annual burden hours, and $2.754 million in annual non-hour cost burdens.

The Interior Department today announced the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s expansion of the allowable pressure differential for Downhole Commingling in the Paleogene (Wilcox) reservoirs, calling it a “critical policy advancement” that could increase production output by ~10% while also resulting in resource conservation benefits.  DOI noted that additional production gains could be possible as operators provide

Citing a “core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources, President Trump today issued an Executive Order on Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources requiring a series of actions including the following to be taken by federal entities by Monday, June 30: Expedite NOAA process

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Friday, May 23 on the preliminary results of a marine spatial planning study that identifies 97 draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area Options covering ~18,000 acres of Alaska state waters, including the conditions, feasibility, and historic or current activities in the identified areas.  The draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area

Following President Trump’s Inauguration Day Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency, the Interior Department today announced its decision to implement emergency permitting procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act to expedite the review and approval of projects including oil and gas leasing, siting, and production.  To be eligible for emergency review procedures, project

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Council’s (MARCO) Mid-Atlantic Ocean Planning Committee will hold its 7th annual Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum in Baltimore, MD on May 6-7.  The event will include discussions on maritime commerce and navigation safety, coastal hazards mitigation and resilience, seafloor habitat mapping, the Mid-Atlantic ocean economy, data sharing and management for ocean planning, eDNA in marine systems and applications for the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic ocean ecosystems, and

The Interior Department’s Fish & Wildlife Service today announced the withdrawal of an October 2021 advance notice of proposed rulemaking that informed the public of the agency’s intent to develop proposed regulations to authorize the incidental take of migratory birds.  The announcement noted that the ANPR was being withdrawn consistent with the Feb. 2025 Secretarial Order on Unleashing

President Trump today issued a Presidential Proclamation on “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific” that removes the prohibition on commercial fishing in the area located between 50-200 nautical miles from the landward boundaries of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. In explaining the decision, the Proclamation concludes that “appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that the Council Coordination Committee will hold a public meeting in New Bedford, MA on May 13-15.  The Committee will address topics including a NMFS update and FY25-26 priorities, Executive Orders update, science and NEPA updates, a legislative outlook discussion, Draft Policy and Guidance: National Marine Sanctuaries Act Sec. 304(a)(5); International Fisheries Issues,