Media Coverage

Interior Sec. Deb Haaland and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory today met with U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas, and tribal and community leaders to talk about wind energy opportunities off California and took a tour of the Port of Humboldt Bay.  Meeting topics included needs of California’s offshore wind industry, planned […]

The White House today announced the establishment and inaugural meeting of the 25-member  “America the Beautiful Interagency Working Group.”  Co-chaired by Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory, Interior Sec. Deb Haaland, Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack, and Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo, the group was created to coordinate federal efforts to implement the Biden administration’s initiative to conserve and restore at

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced its issuance of a final rule effective Wednesday, Sept. 1 revising critical habitat for the Southern Resident killer whale distinct population segment by designating six additional coastal critical habitat areas along the U.S. West Coast.  The areas include 15,910 square miles of waters between the 20-ft. and 656.2-ft. depth contours from

The White House announced today that it held a virtual convening meeting of the White House Coastal Resilience Interagency Working Group that was led by Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, and Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy David Hayes. Mallory addressed the role of coastal communities in mitigating climate change and

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today highlighted a recent study finding an increased presence of North Atlantic rights whales in wind energy areas off Southern New England and noted the importance of engaging stakeholders to minimize potential impacts on right whales and other protected species. Northeast Fisheries Science Center whale aerial survey team lead and study co-author

The Coast Guard today announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, Jan. 25 on its Port Access Route Study to evaluate safe access routes for vessel traffic movements to and from West Coast ports and places and whether a Shipping Safety Fairway and/or routing measures should be established, adjusted, or modified.  The announcement noted that study recommendations

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey today announced that it is seeking proposals by Friday, Oct. 29 from non-federal entities interested in partnering with NOAA ocean and coastal mapping programs on jointly funded FY 2023 ocean and coastal surveys and related activities of mutual interest, including for safe navigation, integrated mapping, coastal zone management, coastal and ocean science, climate

The Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, and Coastal States Stewardship Foundation today announced a new collaboration that they will administer and direct that will focus on research and monitoring for wildlife and offshore wind energy in areas along the U.S. East Coast where offshore wind energy is being developed or proposed. The Regional Wildlife

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced its release of 80 final 2020 marine mammal stock assessment reports that were updated and finalized and a revised final 2019 North Atlantic right whale stock assessment report that includes a typographical correction. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare stock

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement today announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, Sept. 7 on its intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to inform future decisions on applications for the decommissioning of oil and gas pipelines, platforms, and other facilities in federal waters off Southern California.  The