Federal

BOWEN, Australia — Locals and vacationers in this small Australian town were eager to get to know U.S. Marines patrolling their streets this week as part of the biennial Talisman Sabre exercise.

Waterkeepers address estuaries as the first line of defense against devastating storms as they went before Congress to give testimony on re-authorization of the National Estuary Program under the Clean Water Act, along with several proposed funding bills.

Fossil fuels have run the clock down and we're coming up on a 2-minute warning. Can Humans make a quick turnaround to win this game?

Mainers who haul lobsters for a living do not kill right whales.That was the message from a rally at Stonington’s commercial fishing pier on Sunday attended by more than 500 people, including Gov. Janet Mills, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, and U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), during a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, defended the use of offshore energy revenue sharing funds that support Louisiana's coastalrestoration efforts.

Today, the Gulf of Mexico continues to be an ongoing repository for munitions, although for purposes other than mere disposal, and under tight safety and environmental controls.

"Our bill ensures that these increased revenues will be committed to projects that restore the coast, protect our coastal communities from hurricanes and other disaster and, ultimately, reduce our nation’s outrageous disaster response costs." Cong. Garret Graves. And, catch Cong. Graves on ASPN's Capitol Beach Podcast with Derek Brockbank.

Check out the newest National Marine Sanctuary

The Honolulu District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Small Business Office (SBO) was one of several government agencies looking to discuss contracting opportunities to small businesses looking to start or expand opportunities as a government contractor June 18, 2019, at the 17th Annual Hawaii Small Business Forum held at the Honolulu Country Club.

In recent years, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Marine Minerals Program (MMP) has seen an increase in both the number of requests and volume of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sediment for coastal restoration projects. This is largely driven by diminishing resources in state waters, the frequency and magnitude of storms along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, and new infrastructure projects.

About 60.2M Live in Areas Most Vulnerable to Hurricanes

NOAA announces $950,000 in funding for habitat restoration in six Habitat Focus Areas.

If you thought the administration of newly elected Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy would use the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) invitation for comments on its draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Pebble Mine to offer up an unconditional love letter on behalf of the massive copper, gold and molybdenum open pit mine in Bristol Bay, think again.

Inland Oceans: Increased Precipitation Across Mississippi River Basin Impacting Water Levels, River Use

NOAA today officially designated its first new national marine sanctuary since 2000, aiming to preserve the remains of more than 100 World War I-era steamships and vessels on an 18-square-mile stretch of the Potomac River coast.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the first federally funded economic impact study of toxic algae blooms since 2006 and a proposal to increase funding for research into ways to mitigate or stop red tide outbreaks by $2 million to $12 million.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04) reintroduced the Streamlining Environmental Approvals Act (SEA Act) to increase efficiency in the lengthy permit approval processes that have caused setbacks and delays for those working to preserve America’s rapidly deteriorating coastline, interrupted U.S. Naval operations and deterred offshore oil and gas exploration.

June 25, 2019 COSMIC-2, a mission of six satellites designed to improve weather forecasts and space weather monitoring, blasted into orbit at 2:30 a.m. ET today, June 25, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

WASHINGTON (CN) — When an endangered orca named Tahlequeah lost her calf last summer, the entire pod swam 1,000 miles with the grieving mother as she carried the young whale’s body for 17 days through the Salish Sea.

A former lead biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who managed the controversial dredging of PortMiami will plead guilty to lying, her attorney told a Miami federal judge on Tuesday.

Things could be looking a little better for Mikel May's Beachside Bar & Grill, as well as Nueces County, in the eyes of the federal government. The federal government reached out to county officials last year to let them know they were in violation of a nearly $750,000 grant that paid for improvements to Bob Hall Pier.

Staunchly refusing to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea gives the United States less, not more, of a say in what happens in the Arctic.

The slow, tedious process of coming to grips with reality.

The US Environmental Protection Agency issued new guidance on states’ certification authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An amendment to a federal spending bill would halt progress on the Pebble Project permitting process.

Coastal Zone Management Act seeks to balance ecosystem health, development

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled an online tool to help users prepare and handle the effects of coastal flooding. The Coastal Inundation Dashboard is designed to deliver 48-hour water level forecasts, storm surge information and historic flooding data through the use of real-time information gathered from 200 coastal water level stations, NOAA said Friday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) last week hosted its first interagency meeting in the Virgin Islands since Hurricanes Irma and Maria to hear project proposals that could have an effect on the islands’ waterways.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) has lifted its beach fire ban as of 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10.

Federal funds for Hawaii coastal programs awarded

Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have joined colleagues to introduce the Living Shorelines Act, legislation that would create a new grant program for nature-based shoreline protection projects known as living shorelines.

Climate change has opened vast areas of the Arctic to surface ships. For generations, navigators looked for a Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia through the Arctic. Now one exists.

The Navy is planning to launch a massive, 50-ton undersea drone to expand mission scope, increase attack options, integrate large high-tech sensors, further safeguard manned combat crews and possibly fire torpedoes -- all while waging war under the ocean surface.

“It’s just a Category 1.” Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, flinches every time he hears that knowing that Category 1 hurricanes were directly responsible for 175 deaths and $103 billion worth of damage in the last 10 years.

The Bonnet Carre Spillway near New Orleans has been opened twice this year to relieve pressure from flooding. The spillway diverts the freshwater, which eventually flows to the Mississippi Coast. Freshwater contact, along with herbicides and other pollutants, is killing marine wildlife. Economic impact to Mississippi is massive, affecting fishing industry, tourism, restaurants and more.

Over the past three decades, federal and local governments have poured more than $5 billion into buying tens of thousands of vulnerable properties across the country, according to an Associated Press analysis. Buyouts have been getting more expensive, with many of the costliest coming in the last decade after strong storms pounded heavily populated coastal states such as Texas, New York and New Jersey.

NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center today announced there is a 70% chance of above-normal tropical cyclone activity during the central Pacific hurricane season this year.

El Nino and warmer-than-average Atlantic help shape this season’s intensity

Government officials order coastal evacuation even when it’s sunny at the beach with not a cloud in the sky and no hint of the ominous threat thousands of miles away other than from satellite images. People who know I study hurricane evacuations have often asked me to explain this curious decision.

At 6.45am on March 1, 1954, the blue sky stretching over the south Pacific Ocean was split open by an enormous red flash.

Major reforms are needed to the federal program that assesses flood risk, but Congress just punted — for the 11th time — on an opportunity to fix it.

Weather forecasts in the US could be in trouble, as the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – the guys in charge of flogging off the wireless spectrum for the 5G network to be developed – are being warned by meteorologists that it could make weather reports around the world less accurate.

A bipartisan group of coastal lawmakers are calling on the federal government to release $16 billion in disaster relief funding within 60 days.

The House on Friday passed a $19 billion disaster aid bill that would deliver long-sought relief to farmers, victims of hurricanes and floods, and rebuild southern military bases, as Democrats try to dislodge the legislation from a Senate logjam over aid to hurricane-slammed Puerto Rico.

The House on Friday passed a $19-billion disaster aid bill that would deliver long-sought relief to farmers and victims of hurricanes and floods, and rebuild southern military bases, as Democrats try to dislodge the legislation from a Senate logjam over aid to hurricane-slammed Puerto Rico.

USFWS, the Conservation Fund, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources expand Alabama's coastal National Wildlife Refuge

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Coast Guard’s next icebreaker is based on a German research vessel, features a unique Finnish propulsion design and is driven by American diesels, shipbuilder VT Halter Marine told USNI News on Tuesday.

ROVANIEMI, Finland — Under pressure from the United States, the Arctic Council issued a short joint statement on Tuesday that excluded any mention of climate change.

The start of the 2019 hurricane season is only four weeks away. So now is the time to prepare for our fair share of Atlantic and Gulf Coast storms, which seem to grow in number and devastation each year.

The Rhode Island visit of two hurricane hunting aircraft is part of a five-state NOAA tour during National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Hurricane season starts June 1 and continues until Nov. 30.

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WPMI) — The US Fish and Wildlife Service is cracking down on Alabama beachfront condominiums with lighting that's impacting sea turtle nesting and hatching.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the Arctic, a region that has been significantly impacted by climate change, presents "opportunity and abundance" when it comes to economic opportunity.

Matagorda County stands to receive $901,868.30 that will be disbursed by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in FY 2018 energy revenues to the four Gulf oil and gas producing states.

Americans have seen a series of devastating hurricanes and deadly wildfires over the past few years, but millions of people are still desperately waiting for help as a $14 billion federal disaster relief bill is still stalled—in part due to a clash between President Trump and Democrats over how much money should go to Puerto Rico.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is to meet Russia's minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov on Monday (6 May) in Rovaniemi, the main city in Finland's Arctic region, amidst tensions over both climate change and Chinese ambitions in the polar region.

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 25 colleagues introduced legislation Thursday to overhaul the federal tax code to support an innovative, low-carbon economy.

Texas - On Thursday Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Cameron and Willacy County are among many coast line counties receiving funds from his office for projects helpful to restoring the coast.

CARTERET COUNTY — More than seven months after Hurricane Florence, local governments are still awaiting the bulk of reimbursement funds for debris cleanup and other immediate recovery efforts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As Arctic ice melts, we can physically see glaciers retreating. But what we can’t yet see is the exact effect climate change will have on the environment, humans, economies, and national security. Less ice for longer periods each year will likely bring opportunities and related challenges as Arctic and non-Arctic states jockey for position.

The Pentagon seems at odds with the president over how best to prepare for climate-related extreme weather. Listen to American Shoreline Podcast interview with Dr. William Parker, President and CEO of the National Defense University Foundation, on military preparedness for climate change (Link at the bottom of the article).

After delivering more than 200 Senate floor speeches warning Americans it's "time to wake up" to the risks of climate change, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse hit a key milestone Tuesday in his yearslong campaign: He was joined by a Republican. Listen to the American Shoreline Podcast interview with Senator Whitehouse from Earth X (Find the link at the bottom of the story).

A group of 25 U.S. Senators signed a letter last week to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to save a federal program they claim has helped the domestic seafood trade and coastal communities.

GlobalNOC to continue as contractor for N-Wave, which transports weather forecasting, severe storm modeling, climate and ocean data

Recently, news broke about the rollout of Risk Rating 2.0, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s redesign of National Flood Insurance Program and how it will determine rates for flood insurance. The Massachusetts Coastal Coalition has followed Risk Rating 2.0 since the beginning of its development.

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt announced that the Department will disburse nearly $215 million in FY 2018 energy revenues to the four Gulf oil and gas producing states – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and their coastal political subdivisions (CPS) – an increase of 14.3 percent over the prior year.

Federal disaster relief payments on the way to Northern California fishing communities.

The agency denied that it broke federal laws in granting permssion for dredging to renourish Lido Beach

April 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard wants to add resources to the Arctic because "dramatic changes in the physical environment" of the region have allowed China and Russia to become more competitive there.

A new web-based interactive tool for ocean mapping and planning created by NOAA and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is giving everyone from ocean industries to coastal managers, students, as well as the general public the opportunity to be an ocean explorer from their own computer.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has again turned to private reinsurance markets to help strengthen the financial framework of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Drinking water biggest concern, Wheeler says

After months spent poring over data, the National Hurricane Center announced that it has upgraded Hurricane Michael to a rare Category 5.

RALEIGH – The state Department of Environmental Quality and Attorney General Josh Stein have submitted comments on behalf of North Carolina in opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed rollback of water quality regulations.

CHATHAM – For the first time since the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1944, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to allow the hunting of migratory waterfowl and coyote inside the refuge.

A rare baleen whale found in the Gulf of Mexico has gained protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale is a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale and one of the most endangered whales in the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Here’s what you need to know about the Disaster Bill

Damage to coastal property, primarily on the Gulf and East coasts, will total $120 billion per year by 2090. Labor productivity lost to warmer temperatures will amount to $155 billion.

The Padre Island National Seashore is the longest in the national parks system with more than 130,000 acres.

The National Coastal Resilience Fund will award up to $29 million in grant funding to enhance coastal communities’ natural defenses against severe weather and flooding ​

The JPIO project MiningImpact investigates deep-sea ecosystems in the central Pacific Ocean

Climate change describes the current trend toward higher average global temperatures and accompanying environmental shifts such as rising sea levels and more severe storms, floods, droughts, and heat waves.

Location and rebuild cost are driving the new rates, FEMA and industry experts said. The overhaul has both support and criticism.

The funding of the NOAA is likely to get reduced by 17 % in the plan of 2020 budget of the Trump administration. The task of NOAA is to purchase and handle the weather satellites. In 2020 budget, Trump has requested the Congress for a $1.47bn funding for NESDIS on March 11. This can be compared with the $1.77bnomnibus legislation, 2019 which was approved in February. The blueprint of the 2020 budget allocates NOAA almost $218 million.

The National Coastal Resilience Fund will award up to $29 million in grant funding to enhance coastal communities’ natural defenses against severe weather and flooding ​

A new GAO report signals bad news for places that will try to rebuild after the Midwest flooding.

Beach communities that rely on dredging to replenish protective dunes object to expanded federal protections

Rep. Garret Graves steps into new role as ranking Republican of House select climate committee. Graves has earned respect of coastal conservationists

BATON ROUGE -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a major plan to overhaul how risk is assessed in the National Flood Insurance Program, which could mean major changes for Louisiana homeowners, but details remain murky and state officials say they’re holding out hope for an ultimately positive outcome.

Beach communities that rely on dredging to replenish protective dunes object to expanded federal protections

The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud and theft, a government watchdog reported Friday.

In the last decade, governments have been pushing to create vast Marine Protected Areas large enough to protect species from overfishing and other threats. But critics are questioning whether the creation of these large protected areas is driven more by geopolitics than conservation.

STONE HARBOR - Federal hydraulic beach replenishment projects on Seven Mile Island have always encompassed the neighboring boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor. Not so in 2019.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District will meet with non-federal sponsors, customers and agency partners at Texas A&M Galveston Wednesday, March 27, to collaborate on programs ranging from the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study, to Bi-partisan budget Act of 2018 civil works projects.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler appeared on CBS for the first network interview since his confirmation, and while he acknowledged the human contribution to climate change, he also said most threats are “50 to 75 years out.”

As FEMA works out new NFIP rules, residents and officials look forward to more accurate mapping, but worry that the price of flood insurance for some property owners may significantly increase.

BMT has been named a prime awardee on ProTech Oceans Domain, a $3bn multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract serving the National Ocean Service (NOS), part of US-based scientific agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Over the last several decades, cities and other municipal entities (such as water reclamation districts) that own and operate wastewater treatment plants and sewer systems have been subjected to additional and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

‘The main take home point is we’re asking for a supplemental EIS’

Economists have found that when money is at stake, companies whose future depends on the weather are more likely to tie their decisions to the scientific consensus on climate change.

Efforts in Congress to overhaul an embattled insurance program that covers millions of properties against flood damage were jolted yesterday by a plan to make taxpayers pay $20 billion in cost overruns.