House Subcommittee Hearing Highlights “Dismal State” of U.S. Icebreaking Capability
At the July 23, 2014, hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on “Implementing U.S. Policy in the Arctic” the committee chairman, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), opened the proceedings by holding up a graphic of the icebreaker fleets of the world—which depicts nearly 40 Russian icebreakers—and then commented on the “dismal state” of the U.S. icebreaker situation. The hearing background paper noted that the United States presently has only two working polar class icebreakers…
U.S., Canadian Coast Guard Oil Spill Exercise
Representatives from the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, Arctic region stakeholders and established responders are scheduled to hold a joint “Canada - United States North” (CANUSNORTH) tabletop exercise March 16 and 17 at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. This biennial exercise provides an opportunity for all responders to work together to consult on local issues and improve communications and coordination for potential responses to pollution incidents in the contiguous waters of the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea. Over thirty response organizations and regional stakeholders have been invited to participate. These include the Canadian Coast Guard, Environment Canada, U.S. Seventeenth Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, the U.S.
MMS Awards $67M for CIAP Grants in 2009
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced that it awarded $67m in grants to Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and their political subdivisions in 2009 through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP). Created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the CIAP provides funding to the six Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas producing states to mitigate the impacts of energy development on marine and coastal areas. MMS awarded funds to the eligible states in 2009 for 86 projects - Alabama, three; Alaska, 14; Louisiana, 29, Mississippi, 20; and Texas, 20. California’s first grant award is expected in the coming weeks. The majority of the projects focus on conservation…
Coast Guard, Other Agencies Sign Environmental, Response Pact
The Coast Guard recently joined other federal, state and local agencies in Alaska, along with Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, and signed an agreement ensuring the protection of archaeological and historic resources in the state when responding to oil or hazardous material spills.The agreement, between the Alaska-based representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council, establishes the guidelines and procedures to obtain pertinent information about archaeological and historic resources that may be at risk in an emergency response to a spill or release.
