Marine Link
Thursday, March 28, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Hold Public News

15 Nov 2021

FMC Examining How Data Can Improve Ocean Cargo Velocity

© Brad Nixon / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it has set out to identify data constraints that impede the flow of ocean cargo and add to supply chain inefficiencies as severe bottlenecks continue to hamper global supply chains.Launched at the direction of FMC Chairman Daniel B. Maffei and spearheaded by Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel, the initiative seeks to to pinpoint how data can contribute to the long-term reliability of the domestic cargo delivery system. It will also aim to propose recommendations for common data standards used by the international shipping supply chain…

17 Sep 2018

The New York Bight – a Hydra of Difficult Issues

File Image: offshore wind operations (CREDIT: CWind)

The greening of America’s energy signature will not come without the usual discussions, regulatory oversight – and opposition from a raft of special interests.Amidst an atmosphere of possible resurgence in the domestic offshore oil energy, maritime stakeholders are also reminded that there is more than one kind of energy available for development off the four collective coasts of the United States. That process is underway in the Great Lakes; it has already happened off of New England.

26 Apr 2018

USCG's Polar Icebreaker Program Prepares for EIS

Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); notice of public meeting; and request for comments posted in Federal Register.The U.S. Coast Guard said it is working to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Polar Icebreaker Program’s design and build of up to six new polar icebreakers.To prepare for the EIS, the Coast Guard has begun the scoping process to solicit public comments regarding a range of issues, including potential environmental impacts and alternatives that should be addressed in the EIS. The Coast Guard will also hold public meetings in Anchorage…

30 Jan 2015

BOEM Issues Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 226. The proposed CPA oil and gas lease sales are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016 and 2017, respectively, and the proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 is tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016 under the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program:  2012-2017.

19 Nov 2013

Alaska Ocean-going Ferry Project: Seattle Consultants Chosen

Ferry Tustumena: Photo credit PMEL

Naval engineering firm Glosten and Associates of Seattle will guide the state as it plans a new ocean-going ferry to replace the 49-year-old ferry Tustumena, reports the 'Kodiak Daily Mirror', citing news from a meeting of the state's ferry advisory board in Anchorage. The state is prepared to spend up to $10 million designing the Tustumena, money that has been reserved from the state's vessel replacement fund. The design study report will recommend a particular vessel design, and the state may proceed with procurement at that point.

23 Aug 2013

BOEM Public Meetings on Gulf Central Planning Area

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is preparing a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) lease sales beginning with Lease Sale 235 in the Gulf of Mexico off the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Sale 235 is scheduled to be held in 2015. The study will also cover CPA lease sales 241 and 247, to be held in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The supplemental EIS will update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses completed in July 2012 and in April 2013. The supplemental EIS will consider possible new circumstances and information arising from, among other things, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil spill and response.

02 Jul 2013

WSTC to Seek Public View on Proposed Fare Increases

WSF's 'Walla-Walla': Photo courtesy of WSF

Aross-the-board proposed ferry fare increases: Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) to hold public consultations. The increase is necessary to ensure the state meets the ferry-fare-revenue target set by the Legislature in the recently enacted 2013 - 2015 transportation budget. The commission is seeking public comment on the proposal during the coming weeks and plans to make a final decision during its meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at Union Station in Seattle.

25 Mar 2013

Jee Ltd UpdatesTraining Courses

Photo: Jee Ltd.

Jee Ltd, a U.K.-based independent multi-discipline engineering and training firm, has launched a series of initiatives to update its training courses through geographical expansion and technological innovation. The company will expand the current course schedule to include Lagos, Nigeria and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, making Jee the only globally recognized subsea engineering and training firm to hold public courses in Nigeria. Jee will send its tutors to the African and Asian countries from the company’s bases in the U.K.…

08 Nov 2012

BOEM Seeks Comments on Environmental Review

Public Hearings Scheduled to provide opportunities for public input. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), providing updated environmental and socioeconomic analysis to support two proposed lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 233 is tentatively scheduled for 2013 in the Western Planning Area (WPA), offshore Texas; and Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 231 is scheduled for 2014 in the Central Planning Area (CPA), offshore the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. BOEM will hold public hearings to provide an opportunity for interested citizens and organizations to comment on the environmental impact statement. Comments will be used to prepare the final SEIS.

07 May 2012

NOAA to Hold Public Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska

NOAA's Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) is holding a Public meeting, May 22-24, 2012, Anchorage, Alaska. Navigation areas of focus for this public meeting include: NOAA's charting and hydrographic surveying products, services and information for the Alaska/Arctic region; and NOAA's geospatial, tide and currents products, services and information. Maritime transportation representatives presenting at the HSRP Anchorage meeting include: the Marine Exchange of Alaska, Crowley Towing, VITUS Marine, Alaska Marine Highway System, Alaska State Digital Mapping Program; as well as, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security, and the University of Alaska.

16 Apr 2012

BOEM Will Hold Public Meetings

BOEM Will Hold Public Meetings on Draft EIS for Proposed G&G Activities in Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Areas. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold a series of public meetings to gather comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for proposed geological and geophysical (G&G) activities in the Mid- and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning areas. The draft PEIS evaluates the environmental impacts of multiple G&G activities in these OCS planning areas, to determine if significant impacts on the Atlantic resources could occur as a result of G&G activities and, where needed, outlines mitigation and monitoring measures that will reduce or eliminate the potential for impacts.

04 Apr 2012

Ocean Energy Safety Committee to Hold Public Meeting

Washington — James A. Watson, Director of the  Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), announced that the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee (OESC) will hold its fourth public meeting on Thursday, April 26, 2012. “The OESC is a valuable body which is able to thoroughly examine a range of issues, from offshore energy work place and drilling safety, to blow-out containment and spill response,” said Watson. The OESC is a public federal advisory body, including some of the nation’s leading scientific, engineering and technical experts. Chaired by former Sandia National Laboratory Director Dr. Tom Hunter, the group consists of 15 members from federal agencies, the offshore oil and gas industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations.

10 Jan 2012

Public Meeting in New Orleans for OIl & Gas Leasing

BOEM Will Hold Public Hearing in New Orleans on Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a public hearing in New Orleans on Jan. 11, 2012, to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease sales offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. This DEIS is for the proposed lease sales in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico 2012 – 2017 five-year program. A leasing program consists of a schedule of oil and gas lease sales (auctions) indicating the size, timing and location of proposed leasing activity for the five-year period following its approval by the Secretary of the Interior.

30 Dec 2011

BOEM Completes Draft Environmental Review

Public Hearings scheduled for Central and Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sales. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed a draft environmental impact statement regarding multiple oil and gas lease sales tentatively scheduled between 2012 and 2017 in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico planning areas, offshore the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 schedules five annual area-wide lease sales in the Western Gulf and five in the Central Gulf. “The draft environmental impact statement evaluates baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development and production in the Western and Central Gulf,” said BOEM Director Tommy P.

07 Dec 2011

BOEM to Hold Public Meeting in New Orleans

BOEM Will Hold Public Hearing on December 8th in New Orleans on Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a public hearing in New Orleans on Dec. 8, 2011, to provide an opportunity to comment on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012 – 2017. This is one in a series of 13 public hearings. A leasing program consists of a schedule of oil and gas lease sales (auctions) indicating the size, timing and location of proposed leasing activity for the five-year period following its approval by the Secretary of the Interior.

17 Nov 2011

BOEM Calls for Public Input on Proposed 2012-2017 Eastern GOM Lease Sales

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is seeking information from interested parties regarding proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico Eastern Planning Areas. These sales are included in the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017, announced earlier this month. BOEM has published a Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent (Call/NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for two Eastern Gulf sales currently scheduled for 2014 and 2016. BOEM will collect and analyze information to identify and evaluate areas with potential for oil and gas development, as well as to determine possible environmental effects and potential conflicts in the Call area.

30 Jun 2011

BOEMRE's Draft Supplemental EIS, Central GOM Lease Sale

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for proposed oil and gas Lease Sale 216/222 in the Central Planning Area in the Gulf of Mexico. The draft SEIS updates the findings in several previously published environmental reviews covering the Gulf of Mexico and incorporates the latest available information following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. “The analyses contained in this draft SEIS will allow us to make objective, science-based decisions regarding offshore energy exploration, development and production,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.

27 Apr 2011

BOEMRE's Outer Continental Shelf

Washington — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) announced that its Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Scientific Committee will hold a public meeting on May 17-19, 2011, in Hyannis, Mass. The OCS Scientific Committee is a public federal advisory committee of distinguished scientists. Chaired by Dr. Michael D. Fry, the Director of Conservation Advocacy for the American Bird Conservancy, the Committee consists of 15 members with expertise in biological oceanography, marine biology, social science, marine archeology and physical oceanography.

31 Mar 2010

Secretary Salazar Offshore Strategy

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that, as part of a comprehensive strategy for strengthening the nation’s energy security and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, the Obama Administration will expand oil and gas development and exploration on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, while protecting fisheries, tourism and places off U.S. coasts that are not appropriate for development. “By responsibly expanding conventional energy development and exploration here at home we can strengthen our energy security, create jobs, and help rebuild our economy,” said Salazar, who joined President Obama at Andrews Air Force Base to make the announcement.

25 Oct 2009

USCG Open to Comments on Proposed Regs

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to hold public meetings in Oakland, Calif., Oct. 27 and New York City Oct. 29 to hear comments about a proposed rulemaking for ballast water discharge standards. These meetings are the last two of six public meetings held for the Coast Guard to receive comments about a proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register Aug. 28 (74 FR 44632) that would add ballast water discharge standards to the Coast Guard's ballast water management regulations in Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 151, Subparts C and D. The proposed rule would also add approval procedures for ballast water management systems found in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter Q. The public meeting scheduled for Oct. 27 will be from 9 a.m.

27 Sep 2009

CG Public Meetings, Proposed Regulations

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to hold public meetings in Seattle on Sept. 28 and in New Orleans on Sept. 30 to hear comments about a proposed rulemaking for ballast water discharge standards. A total of six public meetings are slated for the Coast Guard to receive comments about a proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register Aug. 28 (74 FR 44632) that would add ballast water discharge standards to the Coast Guard’s ballast water management regulations in Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 151, Subparts C and D. The proposed rule would also add approval procedures for ballast water management systems found in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter Q. The first public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 28, from 9 a.m.

03 May 2004

Corps to Release Draft Proposal for Navigation Study

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to release a draft proposal for public comment and review in the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Navigation Feasibility Study. The Corps' study team met with federal principals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service and Maritime Administration to discuss the range of possible alternatives. The next step will be the preparation of a draft report in May, which will contain the draft proposal. The Corps will hold public meetings in June before preparing the final report late this summer. All comments will be reflected in the final report.

17 Dec 2004

KeySpan LNG Proposed Upgrade – Meeting

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice stating that it will hold public meetings in Providence (January 11) and Middletown (January 12) regarding the proposal to upgrade the KeySpan LNG facility in Providence to allow importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship. Representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard will participate in the meetings. 69 Fed. Reg. 75532 (HK Law).