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E&E NEWS PM | As the Biden administration looks to boost conservation, including of the nation’s waters, an organization representing the interests of the oceans’ commercial and recreational users says existing marine conservation actions are already expansive. The National Ocean Policy Coalition released an assessment Thursday that found more than 4,200 sites, spanning more than

The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, May 8 on draft revised marine mammal stock assessment reports for the Pacific walrus, the southwest stock of the northern sea otter, southcentral stock of the northern sea otter, and southeast stock of the northern sea otter. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires  the U.S. Fish and

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of revised Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS Procedural Directive). The update follows a determination in 2020 that revisions were warranted, and implements major revisions related to the incorporation of other NMFS Procedural Directives, calculating the minimum population abundance in post-survey

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s establishment of the Standing Committee for Offshore Wind Energy and Fisheries.  The 12-member Committee is tasked with providing ongoing assistance to BOEM regarding agency efforts to engage the fisheries community and serves as a forum for discussion on the state of science

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the availability of a final rule effective immediately that reassigns safety, environmental oversight, and enforcement-related renewable energy regulations from BOEM to BSEE. The rule includes reassignment of the authority to oversee facility design, fabrication, installation, and safety management systems;

NOAA today announced the approval of over $64 million in funding for two habitat restoration projects in Louisiana.  Funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act Program, the projects to be carried out in partnership with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority will restore ~724 acres of wetland habitat in St. Bernard Parish and Terrebonne Parish.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Apr. 24 on draft 2022 marine mammal stock assessment reports for marine mammals in the Alaska, Atlantic (includes Gulf of Mexico), and Pacific regions.  New information is also requested for strategic stocks that were not updated in 2022. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires NMFS and the

NOAA today announced the award of ~$20.5 million in Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act funding for coordinated ocean and coastal resource management, including $15.7 million for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, and West Coast Ocean Alliance; $1.1 million for four federally-recognized tribes/tribal organizations; and $3.7 million for five U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing

NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced a Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy to address potential impacts from offshore wind development on National Marine Fisheries Service scientific surveys, saying that it “underscores the agencies’ shared commitment to the Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy goals of responsibly advancing offshore wind energy production while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean