News

In an Executive Order signed today, President Biden established a Climate Change Support Office within the State Department in order to support bilateral and multilateral engagement “to address the global climate crisis,” including support for Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.  The Office will terminate on May 7, 2024, unless terminated earlier by the Secretary of State. Among […]

The U.S. Interior Dept. today published the report on “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” which was transmitted to the White House National Climate Task Force last week as directed by Sec. 216(a) of President Biden’s Jan. 27 Executive Order on “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” The report recommends 8 key principles to guide the effort

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, June 7 on its proposal to revoke the Jan. 7 final rule defining the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to clarify that the law’s prohibitions on pursuing, hunting, taking, capturing, killing, or attempting to do the same apply

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Council’s Committee on the Ocean this week held a virtual Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum.  Themes addressed during the forum included the importance of offshore wind (including lessons learned and tools for informing siting), the impact of climate change on the ocean (including changes species are experiencing) and ways to address it including proactive planning

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, June 1 on its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the construction and operations plan submitted by Revolution Wind, LLC for a wind energy facility off Rhode Island, with export cables connecting to the onshore electric grid in North Kingstown, RI.  In

The Interior Department today announced the appointment of new leadership staff, including Lawrence (Larry) Roberts to serve as Chief of Staff, Steve Feldgus to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Dr. Eric Werwa to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, and Mackenzie Landa to serve as Advisor to the Deputy Secretary. Roberts has been a Professor

Registration is now open for Capitol Hill Ocean Week, which will take place virtually June 8-10, with a theme focused on building a more racially equitable and just movement for the ocean and Great Lakes. The agenda includes sessions on areas including strengthening justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in policy making, science, and management; the use of data collection to

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, June 28 on its proposal to conduct online ~20-minute surveys and ~60-minute interviews to evaluate connections between BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program and the agency’s environmental reviews.  The information collection involves an estimated 70 annual interview responses and up to 880

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is extending the comment period through Thursday, June 3 on the Draft Phase II Restoration Plan: # 3.2: Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, which was prepared by federal natural resource trustee agencies for the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group. The proposal includes ~$2 billion to reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana’s Barataria Basin.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Thursday, May 27 on its proposed authorization and potential 1-year renewal for Garden State Offshore Energy, LLC to take 16 marine mammal species by Level B harassment incidental to high-resolution geophysical site characterization surveys off Delaware and New Jersey and in coastal waters where an export