Media Coverage

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced its decision to keep the Lake Erie Quadrangle National Marine Sanctuary nomination in the inventory for an additional five years.  The proposed sanctuary would span ~759 of Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie waters up to the low water mark. In making its decision, among other things NOAA determined that significant threats to the area remain, that it […]

The U.S. Senate on Monday voted 51-40 to confirm Debra Haaland as Secretary of the Interior.  Haaland most recently served as U.S. Representative for New Mexico’s 1st congressional district, with previous experience including service as Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo, and small business owner. Upon confirmation, Haaland said that “[t]ogether, we will work to

In a letter sent to President Biden today, 64 Republican members of the U.S. House (51) and Senate (13) expressed concern and called for more clarity on the administration’s efforts to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 (30×30), an “equitable and meaningful voice in the process” for state and local governments and key stakeholders,

The Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) today announced that it will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, Apr. 8.  Registration is accessible here, and further meeting information including an agenda and briefing materials will be posted here. NROC is a regional ocean partnership formed in 2005 by the Governors of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to provide

The State Dept. today announced that it will hold a remote public meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 6 in preparation for the 8th session of the International Maritime Organization’s Subcommittee on Navigation, Communication, and Search and Rescue, to be held remotely on Apr. 19-23. Agenda items include routing measures and mandatory ship reporting systems, safety measures for non-Safety of Life at

The Marine Mammal Commission today announced that the Commission and its Committee on Scientific Advisors will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 23. The Commission and Committee will consider the effects of low salinity exposure on bottlenose dolphins, including the review of findings of the Northern Gulf of Mexico bottlenose dolphin unusual mortality event, provide information

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Mar. 22 on the development of an Environmental Assessment related to Hilcorp Alaska, LLC’s proposed geohazards survey in the Cook Inlet. The survey, which would cover ~138 square km. west to southwest of Homer and be conducted over a 30-day period between Apr. 1

The U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) will host a webinar on Tuesday, Mar. 30 on “Implementing SDG 14 with the Communities of Ocean Action.”  Sustainable Development Goal 14 is “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The webinar will provide an update on the status of implementation of voluntary commitments,

The National Science Foundation today announced that the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee is seeking comments by Friday, June 11 on the draft 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan. Priority areas address community resilience and health, Arctic systems interactions, sustainable economies and livelihoods, and risk management and hazard mitigation, with the plan building on the following foundational activities: co-production of knowledge and

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service last Tuesday announced that it is extending the comment period through Thursday, Apr. 8 on revisions to its previously proposed designated critical habitat in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas for the threatened Arctic ringed seal subspecies. NMFS on Tuesday separately announced that it is extending the comment period through Thursday, Apr. 8 on its