NOAA is announcing more than $25 million in recommended funding for 88 projects under the 2014-2015 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program. This is the most significant amount of funding ever granted by NOAA under this decades-old program. "NOAA is committed to helping communities become more resilient environmentally as well as economically," said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D.

Learn more

 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced, on June 24, an agreement to have the National Academies establish a new standing committee on environmental science and assessment for offshore energy and mineral resources. The committee will provide independent information on issues relevant to BOEM's environmental studies and assessment activities and support discussions on relevant issues. The committee's services will be provided under a three-year contract with the National Research Council (NRC), the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). 

Learn more

 

 

East Coast 

 

There's more progress on long-touted plans to deepen the channel at Broward County's seaport to host larger ships, boost business and create jobs.

Learn more

 

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, a new line of defense is being formed off the Jersey Shore to better protect it from the next big storm. The Army Corps of Engineers has developed a new game plan to better protect Jersey's shorelines and keep waters safe by building coastal resilience.

Learn more

 

Gulf Coast  

 

The Jefferson County Commissioners' Court plowed ahead with its coastal restoration on July 6, just days after speculating how a record $18.7 billion settlement between energy giant BP and five Gulf Coast states could benefit the county's marshland.

Learn more

 

Louisiana already has a plan for how to spend most of its BP settlement money. The bulk of the state's $6.8 billion cut of the $18.7 billion global settlement will go toward the state's coastal master plan. The projects include things such as new barrier island building, marsh and wetlands restoration and sediment diversion.

Learn more

 

West Coast and Pacific Islands 

  

A study to define the feasibility of various approaches to improving habitat along California's Yuba River is now underway. A federal cost-sharing agreement has been approved between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Yuba County Water Agency, the non-federal partner, for the $3 million feasibility study.

Learn more 

 

In a new study published today, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey found that the remote northern Alaska coast has some of the highest shoreline erosion rates in the world. Analyzing over half a century of shoreline change data, scientists found the pattern is extremely variable with most of the coast retreating at rates of more than 1 meter a year. 

 

Great Lakes 

 

Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation on July 1 that bans manufacturers from using tiny plastic beads in products after studies showed they are turning up in the Great Lakes and other waterways. The small bits of plastics - known as microbeads - are added to products because of their abrasive qualities. They are flushed down sinks and toilets and eventually find their way into streams, rivers and lakes.

Learn more

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) held a briefing on the use of algal bloom tracking and forecasting data yesterday. The briefing covered the latest harmful algal bloom (HAB) projection data as well as new tools and technology for tracking and reporting.

Learn more