Media Coverage

The Interior Department today announced the availability of Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #7: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; and Birds, which was prepared by federal natural resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group.  The plan includes ~$234 million to help restore bird habitat and marshes in Louisiana.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced the availability of the agency’s FY2019 environmental studies reports.  Topics addressed include effects of the Block Island Wind Farm on Rhode Island recreation and tourism activities, the fate and persistence of oil spill response chemicals in Arctic seawater; and the potential impacts to cultural resources at significant sand extraction

The U.S. Interior Department today announced the 2-year renewal of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. Established in 1993, the Council advises the Interior Secretary on aquatic conservation endeavors that benefit recreational fishery resources and recreational boating and that encourage partnerships among industry, the public, and government.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement today announced a joint funding opportunity with the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $40 million over 5 years for the operation and maintenance of the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI) in order to support further improvements in offshore energy safety and environmental sustainability.  “OESI 2.0” will expand

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the release of a proposed rule for public comment on revisions to regulations governing exploration drilling in U.S. Arctic waters.  The proposed rule, which was formally published on Dec. 9 for comments due by Monday, Feb. 8, would revise 21 existing provisions and add

The Council on Environmental Quality today published a summary of a Sept. 29 meeting held by the Ocean Policy Committee, facilitated by Committee Co-Chairs Mary Neumayr (Council on Environmental Quality Chairman) and Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier (Office of Science and Technology Policy Director). The meeting included updates on implementation of the November 2019 Presidential Memorandum on Ocean Mapping of the United

The Council on Environmental Quality today published the Implementation Plan for Recommendations for Increasing the Efficiency of Permitting for Ocean Exploration, Mapping, and Research Activities, which were previously released in June.  The effort is an outgrowth of the November 2019 Presidential Memorandum on Ocean Mapping of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the Shoreline and Nearshore of Alaska. Implementation

The Northeast Regional Ocean Council today held a virtual meeting to discuss budget and programmatic challenges and opportunities associated with the pandemic and recent election, general updates, special topics including coastal resilience and ocean planning, and NROC Committee updates. During the meeting, it was noted that federal legislation to authorize and fund regional ocean partnerships passed the Senate

NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research today announced that it is seeking applications by Wednesday, Dec. 9 from individuals interested in filling up to four vacancies on the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board. Individuals are sought who have demonstrated expertise in areas of scientific research relevant to ocean exploration, including marine archaeology, or ocean-science education and communication, and representatives