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Council On Environmental Quality News

21 Mar 2024

Inland Waterways Focus: The Pacific Northwest Columbia-Snake River System

© Rich / Adobe Stock

"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.” - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.

06 Apr 2023

Interview: Jennifer Carpenter, AWO

Jennifer Carpenter (Photo: AWO)

Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug, towboat and barge industry?Big picture, I feel like our industry has never been more relevant.

15 Sep 2022

Inland Waterways Report: Columbia-Snake River System

(Photo: Tidewater Transportation and Terminals)

It’s amazing to consider that a commercial vessel in the Pacific Ocean, approaching the mouth of the Columbia River, can continue its eastward journey to finally tie up at the Port of Lewiston, in Lewiston, Idaho, America’s most inland West Coast port, 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean.The Columbia and Snake Rivers form that critical east-west waterway, an economic powerhouse regionally, nationally and internationally. According to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA)…

22 Apr 2021

Enabling America’s Offshore Renewable Energy Opportunity

© Fokke / Adobe Stock

Offshore wind (OSW) energy is a new focus for the U.S. under President Biden, who highlighted it in his January 27, 2021 Executive Order on climate. Since then, there have been several new supporting developments:Rulings by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP);Announcement that workers in Alabama and West Virginia are supplying 10,000 tons of domestic steel for use at a Texas shipyard where Dominion Energy is building the nation’s first Jones Act compliant wind turbine installation vessel;U.S.

06 Jan 2015

Paxton Joins Adams and Reese

Adams and Reese partner Paxton, who also serves as President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA)

Adams and Reese Adds Four to Bolster Federal Governmental Relations Practice. Adams and Reese is proud to announce the addition of Partner Matt Paxton and Governmental Affairs Advisors Joe Carnevale, Ian Bennitt and Ashley Godwin, who join our firm in our Washington DC Office from the law firm of Ball Janik LLP. “We are very excited about adding Matt, Joe, Ian and Ashley, to our Firm and our Federal Governmental Relations practice,” said B. Jeffrey Brooks, Adams and Reese Executive Committee Chairman and DC Office Partner in Charge.

28 Sep 2014

Great Lakes Restoration Plan Announced

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informs that Administrator Gina McCarthy has released a new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan that lays out steps that federal agencies will take during the next five years to protect water quality, control invasive species and restore habitat in the largest surface fresh water system in the world. McCarthy, who chairs the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, released the plan at a meeting of Great Lakes Mayors in Chicago. “The new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan lays out the steps we need to take to get us closer to the day when all Great Lakes fish will be safe to eat, all beaches will be safe for swimmers and harmful algal blooms will not threaten our drinking water supplies,” said McCarthy.

17 Mar 2014

FERC Drafts EIS on Freeport LNG Project

Image: Freeport LNG

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Phase II Modification Project and the Liquefaction Project. The Projects are proposed by Freeport LNG and are located in Brazoria County near the city of Freeport, Texas. The proposed Phase II Modification Project includes: modification to the previously authorized liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel berthing dock, LNG transfer pipelines, LNG unloading arms, and the access road system at Freeport LNG’s existing Quintana Island terminal.

13 Jan 2014

Cameron Liquefaction Project Proposed

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Cameron Liquefaction Project, proposed by Cameron LNG, LLC and Cameron Interstate Pipeline, LLC (collectively Cameron). The project is proposed in Cameron, Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes, Louisiana, and would provide Cameron the capability to export about 12 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year. Cameron would construct three separate systems that liquefy natural gas; one 160,000-cubic-meter, full-containment LNG storage tank; refrigerant make-up and condensate product storage; a truck loading/unloading area…

16 Oct 2013

U.S. Policies: Raising Red Flags Offshore

National Ocean Policy, Coastal & Marine Spatial Planning: two of the biggest issues you never heard of. It’s also far more complicated than you might think. This summer, the Obama Administration released the innocuously named “Guide to Regional Marine Planning,” and across town, the House of Representatives passed the latest in a string of resolutions restricting the Administration from spending money on the implementation of the National Ocean Policy. The battle continues over an issue which could well redefine the future of offshore energy development…

08 Dec 2010

U.S. District Court Rules Against Closing Chicago Locks

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) applauded the decision announced on Thursday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that denied a motion for preliminary injunction filed by five Great Lakes states to close Chicago area locks as a way of preventing the migration of Asian carp into Lake Michigan. AWO and a coalition of industries and associations had intervened on the side of the defendants, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, to keep the O’Brien and Chicago locks open. In his opinion, Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. wrote that the plaintiffs – which include Michigan…

17 Aug 2010

Categorical Exclusions for Gulf Offshore Activity Limited

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) Director Michael R. Bromwich announced that the department will restrict its use of categorical exclusions for offshore oil and gas development to activities involving limited environmental risk, while it undertakes a comprehensive review of its National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process and the use of categorical exclusions for exploration and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. Director Bromwich and Secretary Salazar also announced that the Department of the Interior intends to conduct a new environmental analysis in the Gulf of Mexico that will help provide information to guide future leasing and development decisions.

09 Jun 2010

Stronger Safety Requirements for Offshore Drilling Issued

The Department of the Interior issued a directive to oil and gas lessees and operators on the Outer Continental Shelf implementing stronger safety requirements that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recommended in his 30-day safety report to the President. The Notice to Lessees focusing on safety measures (Safety NTL) issued applies to both deepwater and shallow water operations, although drilling operations in water deeper than 500 feet remain under a six-month moratorium. Shallow water drilling operations and production activity in both deep and shallow waters are not under a moratorium and will continue, provided they are in compliance with the new safety requirements.

17 May 2010

Salazar to Review Drilling Agency Methods

According to a May 14 report from the Associated Press, the Obama administration said on May 14 it is tightening procedures at the agency that grants offshore drilling permits to ensure it follows all environmental laws. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the review will focus on whether the Minerals Management Service is following the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental laws before issuing permits for offshore oil and gas development. Salazar and Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the review minutes after President Barack Obama pledged to end a "cozy relationship" between the oil industry and federal regulators. Obama said that oil drilling permits had been granted without appropriate environmental reviews.

28 Apr 2010

Supreme Court Ruling Against Closing Chicago Locks

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hailed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision announced April 26  to deny the State of Michigan’s motion to close Chicago area locks. AWO is gratified that the Supreme Court’s action will keep waterborne commerce flowing and will avoid the impact that closing the locks would have on Midwest consumers and workers employed in the towing industry and other industries that rely on commodities shipped by barge. AWO has endorsed nine actions other than lock closures put forward by a federal agency consortium in its Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework that should be implemented to stop the Asian carp. AWO remains committed to working in partnership with the U.S.

12 Apr 2010

National Waterways Alliance Meets with CEQ

A diverse group of 30 members of the National Waterways Alliance – representing all segments of the water resources community nationwide – met with the Council on Environmental Quality to discuss the proposed revisions to the Principles and Standards governing the planning and development of water resources projects. Recognizing that reliable, well maintained water resources infrastructure is critical to our nation’s economic vitality and environmental well-being, the Alliance sought to offer constructive suggestions to the proposal to ensure a viable, long-term planning mechanism. Highlights of the session included a presentation by Dr.

10 Feb 2010

House Hearing on Asian Carp, Great Lakes

The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure conducted a hearing on Asian carp and the Great Lakes. In his statement, Representative James Oberstar (D-MN) discussed the threat posed by the Asian carp to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), testified concerning EPA’s role in the process and the draft Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. MGEN John Peabody, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), testified concerning USACE’s efforts to date and its plans for upcoming efforts to stop the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes via the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal. Mr.

26 Oct 2009

Great Lakes Ocean Policy Public Meeting

Obama Administration officials will hold their sixth regional Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 29, 2009. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices. The Task Force is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of the oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning. The public is encouraged to attend and an opportunity for public comment will be provided. Dr.

12 Oct 2009

Gulf Coast Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting

Obama Administration officials will hold a Gulf Coast Regional Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting in New Orleans on Monday, October 19, 2009. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices. The Task Force, established by President Obama via presidential memorandum on June 12, is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning.

21 Aug 2009

USARC Calls for Arctic Oil Spill Research

The U.S. Arctic Research Commission believes that the U.S. needs a robust research program to address spill response in broken ice, as shipping moves into the Arctic Ocean and offshore oil drilling - in several Arctic nations - moves forward. Mead Treadwell, chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, prepared testimony for the August 20 field hearing in Anchorage of the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Treadwell told the committee that, contrary to laws passed by Congress after the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in 1989, a significant national oil spill research program does not exist, nor is one planned to fit the special needs of the Arctic. It was anticipated that the U.S.

17 Aug 2009

PVA Calls to Preserve Navigation Routes

Traditional navigational routes for ferries and other passenger vessels must be recognized and protected. That was the Passenger Vessel Association’s message delivered this summer to President Obama’s Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy. PVA told the Interagency Task Force, “Ferry routes and other traditional navigational lanes are located where they are for a reason. These are the most economical and safest routes by which a vessel can reach its destination. They cannot be arbitrarily moved for someone else’s convenience or whim. As governments begin to implement ‘marine spatial planning’ (or ocean zoning), it is essential to be aware of the needs of the maritime industry, especially ferry operators, to preserve and protect their routes and traditional navigational lanes.

14 Aug 2009

Follow Interagency Arctic Trip with Social Media

Several White House and federal agency officials participating in the new Ocean Policy Task Force will be traveling throughout Alaska and the Arctic from Aug. 17 to 21, to observe ongoing activities in the region and meet with local and indigenous community leaders and industry representatives. During their travel, the party will provide updates on their activities and observations, including photos, videos and blog posts throughout. The increasingly accessible and active Arctic region has significant environmental, scientific, economic and security impacts that have broad implications for all of the agencies participating and the public responsibilities they hold. This high-level interagency visit, facilitated by the U.S.

12 Aug 2009

Interagency Arctic Awareness Trip

The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, in coordination with White House and federal agency officials, will be traveling throughout the Arctic region, Aug. 17-21, to participate in the new Ocean Policy Task Force, observe ongoing activities and meet with local and indigenous community leaders and industry representatives. Adm. •    Dr. The increasingly accessible and active Arctic region has significant environmental, scientific, economic and security impacts that have broad implications for all of the agencies participating and the public responsibilities they hold. This high-level interagency visit, facilitated by the U.S. Coast Guard, will…

17 Jan 2008

Navy Granted Authority to Use Sonar in Training off California

The Navy announced Jan. 16 that two important steps have been taken under existing law and regulations to allow it to conduct effective, integrated training with sonar off the coast of southern California after a federal court earlier this month imposed untenable restrictions on such training. In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, President George W. Bush concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements…