Federal

A dead North Atlantic right whale found floating off New York’s Long Island Monday afternoon could raise the official death toll of the endangered species to 29 in the last two years, jacking up pressure on the U.S. and Canadian governments to slow those losses.

Long-sought reforms to Endangered Species Act (ESA) implementation have arrived. On August 27, 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) finalized regulations (the 2019 Regulations) intended to make ESA listing decisions, critical habitat designations, and agency consultations more transparent and efficient while still protecting listed species.

MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2019 / NOAA has officially awarded Coral Restoration Foundation™ a grant of $2,575,016 as part of a new, cooperative, three-year agreement.

Book review: In “The Geography of Risk,” reporter Gilbert M. Gaul assesses the costs of beach overdevelopment -- and who pays for it Note: Listen to Gilbert Gaul on ASPN's Ship o Shore Podcast, hosted by Robert Frump; link at end of article.

U.S. needs better policy for flood zones, says NRDC report, or risks “cycle of flood-rebuild-repeat”

Dorian’s landfall in the Outer Banks of North Carolina did more than flood coastal communities — it reshaped parts of the barrier islands, early damage assessments show.

BOSTON — Canadian premiers and U.S. governors in the Northeast need to take active steps to protect imperiled North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

The US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board finally may be heading to a high level showdown over long-standing NTSB proposals for tougher regulations protecting passengers on small passenger vessels and duck boats – vessels used by millions of people per year.

The catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Dorian are a grim reminder of the need to invest in research and technology to improve forecasts of hurricanes and other storms. Weather prediction has become significantly more reliable in recent years, but we still need far more precise forecasts of the track, intensity and timing of hurricanes to safeguard society.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has established a contract for a Gulfstream G550 to join its Hurricane Hunter fleet of aircraft. The aircraft will support NOAA’s weather forecasting and research programmes.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. Federal agencies use GLRI resources to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to accelerate progress toward long term goals.

The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group approved new monitoring and adaptive management activities to help better understand environmental conditions that impact marine mammals injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The species include pantropical spotted and other oceanic dolphins, and sperm whales.

The beacon at the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has stopped rotating, and has been stuck in a fixed position since Sunday night, according to several Buxton residents and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Recent studies show conservation measures in West Maui are improving the health of reefs and fish.

This notice allocates $6.875 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds to grantees recovering from qualifying 2015, 2016, and 2017 disasters. Funds allocated by this notice were made available by the Further Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115-123, approved February 9, 2018) (the “Appropriations Act”).

As the scale and frequency of major disasters escalate, millions of dollars in federal, state and insurance payments intended for recovery efforts are being stolen by fraudsters taking advantage of chaos and the pipeline of aid flowing into the stricken areas.

Recognizing that the Florida Keys are increasingly at risk due to climate change and the volume of people going there, federal environmental regulators Tuesday unveiled major new proposals to protect marine life and corals that would limit fishing, restrict what cruise ships can dump at sea and regulate the boats on which many people live near shore.

A new study provides evidence that increasing the abundance of a threatened or endangered species can deliver large benefits to the citizens of the Pacific Northwest.

Richard Motta, director of communications for Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., addresses the media at Government House, St. Croix to press for release of hurricane recovery funds.

More than $48 million available to support coastal communities impacted by hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Yutu and wildfires in 2018 through building natural infrastructure resilience

RALEIGH - The U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development intends to publish within weeks a Federal Register notice that is required for North Carolina to receive a $168 million Hurricane Matthew disaster relief package, a HUD senior official said Friday.

“Marine debris removal and research efforts have both immediate and long-term benefits for local communities, regional interests, and the American Blue Economy,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “

US Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Energy Subcommittee, and ENR Committee Chair, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, introduced legislation on Aug. 2 that aims to reform federal offshore revenue-sharing for Gulf Coast states.

One-third of Irish people now view climate change as a top issue for the European Union to tackle, a new poll has revealed.

A message from NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver, who recently met with Canadian officials to coordinate conservation and management efforts for the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Sen. Rob Portman’s three-day Lake Erie Tour wrapped up on Saturday with a Lake Erie fishing trip out of the Chagrin River, and a roundtable discussion at nearby Lakeline Village Hall.

Members of the Florida congressional delegation are working together to push for updating and reauthorizing the “Coral Reef Conservation Act” which expired 15 years ago.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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?

Sea Grant program funding is regularly on the chopping block and legislators that pay attention work to keep this inexpensive and highly effective program running.

A bill proposed by Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith would help seafood workers on the Coast after a devastating season because of the opening of Bonnet Carré Spillway and invasion of algae bloom in the Mississippi Sound.

DURHAM, North Carolina — In a release Wednesday, the state of North Carolina and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have reimbursed another $2.3 million to Carteret County for Hurricane Florence storm debris cleanup.

The heating and air conditioning in Carrie Johnson’s home – damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 – still wasn’t fixed when Hurricane Florence flooded her house last September. Now, her home of over 50 years is gutted, the flooring and walls nothing more than bare wooden beams smelling faintly of river water.

Children run along the shores at Sodus Point Park, whose beach has suffered some erosion due to high lake levels. Reps. John Katko and Joe Morelle have introduced bipartisan legislation to require a Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, which would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partner with the eight Great Lakes states on assessing threats and resiliency measures for coastal communities.

FEMA has approved $4,581,446 for the State of Florida to help the city of Cape Coral defray the costs of debris removal for Hurricane Irma under FEMA's Public Assistance Program.

Just four weeks after releasing comments critical of a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed Pebble mine, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency withdrew Clean Water Act protections for the mine.