Ocean Policy Roundup
March 8-15, 2024
It was a big week in ocean policy! If you haven’t already, check out our blog post for a look at the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) President’s Budget, which included some concerning cuts to several important ocean programs.
Both the House and Senate will be in session next week from Tuesday through Friday.
News highlights:
The waters off Rhode Island officially became home to America’s first fully built, commercial-scale offshore wind farm.
The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary of National Significance Act of 2023 passed the Senate. The bill would direct the EPA to formally enroll the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program into the National Estuary Program.
Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) and Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) led a letter signed by 26 Members of Congress urging the Biden Administration to implement a whole-of-government approach to combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced labor in the seafood supply chain.
The House Natural Resources committee will hold a legislative hearing this Thursday, March 21, to discuss four bills: the Help Our Kelp Act, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act, the Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, and the Great Lakes Mapping Act.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Check out our public Google calendar and printable PDF to keep track of the 2024 congressional schedule.
March 22, 2024: funding deadline for the remaining appropriations bills (Defense, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations)
Upcoming Relevant Congressional Hearings
Wednesday, March 20
2:15 PM — Assessing Domestic Offshore Energy Reserves & Ensuring U.S. Energy Dominance; House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral resources
Thursday, March 21
10:00 AM — House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Legislative Hearing, to include:
Help Our Kelp Act (H.R.5487)
Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act (H.R.1395)
Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act (H.R.6814)
Great Lakes Mapping Act (H.R.7020)
Introductions
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME-02) and five bipartisan cosponsors introduced the Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement Act (FISH Wellness Act/H.R.7658). The bill aims to improve access to mental health and substance abuse support services for commercial fishermen, vessel operators, and crew members. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced a Senate version of this bill (S.3389) back in December.
Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO-06), Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Daniel Webster (R-FL-11), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) introduced the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 (H.R.7659). The bill includes new and updated provisions, including the addition of the Coast Guard Protection and Accountability Act of 2024, which would strengthen protections for members of the Coast Guard from sexual assault and harassment.
Updates
The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary of National Significance Act of 2023 (S.50) passed the Senate and will head to the House floor. The bill, which was introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL), would direct the EPA to formally enroll the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program into the National Estuary Program as an Estuary of National Significance.
The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (H.R.886) passed the House. The bill, which was reintroduced by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and six bipartisan cosponsors in February 2023, aims to provide NOAA with greater flexibility to fund marine debris prevention and clean-up. The legislation also clarifies the function and responsibilities of the congressionally-chartered Marine Debris Foundation. The Senate version of this bill (S.318) passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December 2023, so this legislation now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2023 (HABHRCA/H.R.6235). The bill, which was introduced by Reps. Bonamici and David Joyce (R-OH-14) in November 2023, aims to to improve monitoring, forecasting, prevention, and mitigation of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia by requiring better coordination among task force agencies and state and local entities, including Tribes.
The House Committee on Natural Resources also advanced the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (H.R.524). The bill, which was introduced by Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC-07) in January 2023, would create an exemption for certain shoreline borrow sites within the Coastal Barrier Resources System.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works advanced the America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024 (ACE Act/S.3791). The bill, which was introduced by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and seven bipartisan cosponsors, would reauthorize wildlife-related programs throughout the country, including the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, and the Chesapeake Bay Program.
President’s Budget
Several agencies published fact sheets detailing their relevant priorities in the FY25 President’s Budget:
Department of Energy (DOE)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Fisheries and Ecosystems
Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) and Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) sent a bipartisan letter signed by 26 Members of Congress to President Biden advocating for a whole-of-government approach to combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced labor in the seafood supply chain.
DOI established the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area in southwest Florida as the 571st unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The four-million-acre conservation area aims to provide crucial protected wildlife corridors, enhance outdoor recreation access to the public, and bolster climate resilience in southwest Florida.
DOI announced that more than $120 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will fund 146 projects to help Tribal communities with projects to tackle severe climate-related environmental threats to their homelands.
The United States and Canada announced joint action, in partnership with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples, to reduce and mitigate the impacts of water pollution crossing the U.S.-Canada border.
NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation and the American Fisheries Society are seeking nominations for the 2024 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award. Candidates should have demonstrated exceptional achievement and dedication to marine, coastal, or riverine habitat conservation.
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz visited Puerto Rico to celebrate a $5 million grant to restore coastal habitats at the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge.
EPA announced that a record 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and dozens of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, have now developed climate action plans.
Ocean Data and Technology
DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office released its 2022–2023 Accomplishments Report, which showcases more than 40 hydropower and marine energy successes at national laboratories, companies, and academic institutions across the country.
NOAA announced $3.72 million in funding to support research on Great Lakes water level forecasts.
Offshore Wind and Energy
The waters off Rhode Island officially became home to America’s first fully built, commercial-scale offshore wind farm. Ørsted powered up all 12 turbines at the South Fork Wind project, which is now delivering power to Long Island and the Rockaways.
BOEM announced the finalized designation of a Wind Energy Area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine. The WEA totals about two million acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, ranging roughly 23-92 miles off the coast.
BOEM announced it will initiate an environmental review for the proposed Atlantic Shores wind energy project offshore New Jersey.
Image: Schmidt Ocean/X
During a recent Pacific Seamounts expedition, Schmidt Ocean researchers captured mesmerizing footage of what they suspect to be a lobate ctenophore, a type of comb jelly.