In the News  
 
President Trump announced on Tuesday (Aug 15) that he had signed a sweeping executive order to eliminate and streamline some permitting regulations and to speed construction of roads, bridges and pipelines, declaring that the moves would fix a "badly broken" infrastructure system in America and bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.

Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States and one of the largest in the world, is facing new risks from a layer of highly acidified water some 10 to 15 meters below the surface, a new study has found.  This "pH minimum zone" is 10 times more acidic than the bay's surface waters and may pose a risk to a variety of economically and ecologically important marine species, including oysters, crabs and fish, the researchers say. 
At the Agencies   
 
President Donald Trump's emergency management director said he's pushing for an overhaul of disaster relief so that states, cities and homeowners bear more of the costs, and less of the risk falls on the federal government. Brock Long, who was confirmed in June as the administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for homes that keep flooding, and the threshold for triggering federal public assistance after a disaster might be too low. He also expressed support for an Obama administration idea to make local governments pay more when a hurricane or flood hits.
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The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) has received a $2,536,800 EPA grant to reduce nonpoint source pollution as well as achieve and maintain beneficial use of water. The grant is part of EPA's 2017 Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant Program. "EPA is providing funds directly to South Carolina so that the state may determine how best to address its unique and critical environmental challenges," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "EPA grants to our partners like SCDHEC give states the flexibility to protect their resources and grow their economy while solving real environmental problems in local communities."

The NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction will host an
open house on Saturday, Sept. 16, at its College Park, Maryland, campus. The public is invited to tour the facility and meet NOAA research scientists and meteorologists to explore how they forecast and monitor the weather across the country, use satellite data, track atmospheric dispersion of airborne material, and model air quality.
In the States and Regions 
 
East Coast 

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady announced on Friday that funding is complete for the Delaware River Deepening Project - a project 25 years in the making. The Army Corps of Engineers will provide $29.25 million in its Fiscal Year 2017 Work Plan for the project.
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A study of flood damage in Florida by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and the Nature Conservancy proposes prioritizing property buyouts based on flood risk, ecological value, and socioeconomic conditions. Forecasters say an above-normal hurricane season is likely in the Atlantic Ocean this year, while a rising sea level is making Florida increasingly vulnerable to dangerous flooding.
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A new report on sea level rise says as many as 20 North Carolina communities could be regularly inundated with sea water within 15 years, but local experts believe the number affected could be greater and that some areas are already suffering the effects of a rising sea. The report, When Rising Seas Hit Home: Hard Choices Ahead for Hundreds of U.S. Coastal Communities, looks at when coastal towns and cities across the country can expect to see a level of flooding that is disruptive to daily life - affecting homes, routines and livelihoods.
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Gulf Coast 

Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announces 2017 Coastal Master Plan Data is now available for download at the Master Plan Data Viewer.   Data comes from a suite of predictive models that were used in the 2017 master plan process to determine projects' effects on coastal Louisiana.  The Master Plan Data Viewer is a web-based, geospatial visualization tool that integrates and displays results from CPRA's 2017 Coastal Master Planeffort.
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The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today (Aug 23) announced 10 grant awards totaling $1.9 million to enhance coastal habitats, bolster fish and wildlife populations, and strengthen resilience along the Gulf of Mexico. Grantee organizations have committed approximately $6 million in match, generating a total conservation impact of nearly $7.9 million.
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West Coast and Pacific Islands 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $3,080,000 to the Washington Department of Ecology to help protect human health and the environment through a Nonpoint Source Program Clean Water Act (Section 319) grant. This grant is given to states to implement environmental programs that address nonpoint source pollution in surface and groundwater in order to meet and maintain water quality standards.
   
Great Lakes

A new $840,000 federal grant will be used to protect Lake Michigan shoreline homes, beaches and harbors. The grant, from the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Resilience Grants Program, was awarded to the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, which led an 18-month study about rising lake levels and their affect on bluffs from Port Washington to Shorewood.
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Announcements & More   
  
Webinar: Farm Bill Conservation Programs: Collaboration between USFWS and USDA

Restore America's Estuaries is hosting in conjunction with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program.  
 
When: Thursday, September 28th at 1:00 pm EST
 
Summary: The Farm Bill is the single largest source of land conservation in country. Understanding the various programs offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service can maximize fish and wildlife benefits. Join us to learn about these programs and how The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with USDA to restore and enhance habitat.
 
Presenter: Edwin Christopher, a Fish and Wildlife Service Farm Conservation Programs Biologist, focuses on maximizing opportunities to benefit fish and wildlife through USDA Farm Bill Programs.

Moderator: Leigh Habegger, External Affairs Manager at Restore America's Estuaries
 
Free webinar is hosted by Restore America's Estuaries

Mark your calendar! And share! 
Join American Shore & Beach Preservation Association     (ASBPA) at their National Coastal Conference, with the theme, "Beaches, Bays and Beyond", in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 24-27. Program and registration online at http://asbpa.org/conferences/.  

- Care about the coast? Register for #ASBPA2017 before Sept.29 for early discount. #BeachesBaysBeyond - 

Worth reading!

A research team, led by University of Delaware professor Wei-Jun Cai, has identified a zone of water that is increasing in acidity in the Chesapeake Bay.
The team analyzed little studied factors that play a role in ocean acidification (OA) -- changes in water chemistry that threaten the ability of shellfish such as oysters, clams and scallops to create and maintain their shells, among other impacts.

University of Delaware. "Acid zone in Chesapeake Bay identified: Zone of water 30 feet below surface is increasing in acidity, threatening shellfish." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 August 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170828093737.htm>.
OneNOAA Science Seminars, 2017  
 
Tile:Synthesis of public  water supply use in the United States: Spatio-temporal patterns and socio-economic controls.
Date & Time:  October 18, 2017 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET SSMC4 Large Conference Room #8150
 
Seminars are open to the public. For remote access, location, abstracts and more, visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Calendar at:   http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/ 
Seminars are posted in Eastern Time and subject to changes without notice; please check the web page for the latest seminar updates.   

 

The Voice of the Coastal States and Territories on Ocean, Coastal & Great Lakes Affairs

 

The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the views of CSO.