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Environmental Protection Agency News

11 Mar 2024

Coast Guard Will Not Enforce New California Rule, Citing 'Safety Concerns'

© Jill Clardy / Adobe Stock

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Coast Guard says it “will not enforce” a new California Air Resources Board regulation, citing “safety concerns.”The Coast Guard and business organizations oppose CARB's requirement that commercial harbor craft install diesel particulate filters (DPF) linked to a number of fires. Seventeen states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for giving an exemption to California alone to enact its own air standards that, by power of its market size…

08 Mar 2024

US Invests Another $3 Billion into Clean Ports

© Michele / Adobe Stock

The Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled a $3 billion initiative to fund clean ports, aimed at reducing emissions and advancing environmental justice. Announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Ports Program will support the transition to zero-emission operations at ports across the country.The program, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, includes two grant competitions. The first, the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition, will allocate nearly $2.8 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure.

26 Feb 2024

Officials Urge EPA to Remove Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' from the Hudson River

(File photo: EPA)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand earlier this month stood with local leaders and environmental advocates at Albany City Hall to demand that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take additional action to clean up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) “forever chemicals” in the Hudson River.PCBs are toxic manmade chemicals that can linger in water and soil for decades. Exposure is associated with a variety of serious health conditions, including cancer.From 1947 to 1977, General Electric dumped 1.2 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River north of Albany.

22 Feb 2024

BOEM Approves COP for Equinor's Empire Wind Project

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The United States’ Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for Equinor’s Empire Wind project, marking another milestone in advancing the New York offshore wind project.With this permitting action by BOEM secured, Empire Wind is on track to begin construction in its federal lease area off the southern coast of Long Island later this year. Already well advanced in planning and development, Empire Wind 1 could deliver first power to New Yorkers by 2026.

15 Feb 2024

US Issues Clean Air Permit to Empire Offshore Wind Project

Source: Empire Wind

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, granted a Clean Air Act permit to New York's Empire Offshore Wind owned by Equinor.The permit was given after an air quality analysis showed federal air quality standards would not be compromised during construction and operation of the project, the agency said."When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State – enough to power as many as a million homes,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F.

24 Jan 2024

Crowley's All-electric Harbor Tug eWolf Delivered

Crowley's eWolf is the first all-electric ship assist harbor tugboat in the U.S. (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of its groundbreaking vessel eWolf, the first all-electric, ship assist harbor tugboat in the United States.The 82-foot tug, designed by Crowley’s engineering services team and built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, will enter service at the Port of San Diego this spring following final demonstration trials and completion of Crowley’s microgrid shoreside charging station. The vessel will operate with zero emissions while providing the complete performance capabilities of a traditional tug…

26 Dec 2023

Crowley's All-electric Tug eWolf Starts Sea Trials

Video screen capture from video shared by Crowley on social media.

The first all-electric tugboat built in the United States, Crowley's eWolf, has started sea trials along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The 82-foot ship assist tug, built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, is expected to enter service at the Port of San Diego in 2024. Video footage of the vessel on sea trials was shared by Crowley on social media.The eWolf is designed to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and expected 70 ton bollard pull strength.

18 Dec 2023

Ask What Your Government Can Do For Your Industry (A 2023 Retrospective)

© rrodrickbeiler / Adobe Stock

John F. Kennedy’s famous locution, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but you can do for your country” remains the rallying call for civic action and public leadership. The message remains foundational to the success of the United States, particularly as we head into an election year that once again appears to be filled with divisiveness and vitriol. That said, before we flip the calendar, it is important to set JFK’s message aside for a moment and reflect upon what our political leadership in Washington…

03 Dec 2023

COP28: US Cracking Down on Methane from Oil and Gas

Credit: COP28 / Anthony Fleyhan

The Biden administration on Saturday unveiled final rules aimed at cracking down on US oil and gas industry releases of methane, part of a global plan to rein in emissions that contribute to climate change.The rules, two years in the making, were announced by US officials at the United Nations COP28 climate change conference in Dubai. The US and other nations attending the summit are expected to detail how they will achieve a 150-country pledge made two years ago to slash methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.Methane tends to leak into the atmosphere undetected from drill sites…

29 Nov 2023

WinGD Debuts Variable Compression Ratio Technology

Source: WinGD

Swiss marine power company WinGD will realise the first commercial instalments of its new variable compression ratio (VCR) technology on two new dual-fuel LNG powered vessels being built for NYK Line.A 95,000 DWT bulk carrier being built at Oshima Shipbuilding and a 7,000 CEU pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) being built at Shin Kurushima Dockyard will be the first two-stroke powered vessels that can dynamically optimise combustion depending on the fuel being used – delivering improved emissions…

23 Nov 2023

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Shuts in Around 3% of Daily Output

Credit: US Coast Guard

Around 61,165 barrels of daily oil output from at least six producers, making up about 3% of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, has been shut in by Third Coast Infrastructure's underwater pipeline leak, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.The oil producers whose facilities are impacted include W&T Energy, Occidental Petroleum, Walter Oil and Gas, Cantium, Arena Offshore and Talos Energy Ventures, the Coast Guard said, citing the U.S. Interior Department's Bureau of…

20 Nov 2023

1 Million+ Gallons: Pipeline Leaking Oil in the Gulf of Mexico

(Photo: Main Pass Oil Gathering Company, LLC)

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil.The 67-mile long pipeline was closed by Main Pass Oil Gathering Co (MPOG) on Thursday morning, after crude oil was spotted around 19 miles offshore of the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans."Overflight teams observed visible oil Friday moving southwest away from the Louisiana shore…

20 Nov 2023

U.S. Coast Guard Responds to Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Credit: U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard was leading an oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, partnering with local and federal agencies and companies after a Main Pass Oil Gathering Co (MPOG) underwater pipeline began leaking.The crude oil pipeline is around 19 miles (30 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, east of Venice, Louisiana, the U.S.

17 Nov 2023

Bringing the Capital Construction Fund Program Ashore

© William A. Morgan / Adobe Stock

On May 5, 2023, the White House announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was “taking the next step to invest $3 billion in its Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants, improve air quality and public health in neighboring communities, and advance environmental justice.” That “next step” was the issuance of a Request for Information to inform EPA of the availability…

14 Nov 2023

Daphne Technology Sets Up Shop in Houston

© Ramiro / Adobe Stock

Daphne Technology has established a U.S. subsidiary, Daphne Technology USA, and has appointed Jamie Brick, to lead its North American operations from Houston, Texas.Daphne Technology says its core focus is the development of sustainable solutions to combat harmful emissions. The company's SlipPure after-treatment system, which reduces methane emissions in the exhaust of natural gas-fueled engines (aka “slip”), has received approval in principle (AIP) from Lloyd's Register (LR) and DNV.

08 Nov 2023

FOCUS-How Shipping More US Natural Gas to Europe Helped Fuel CO2 Pollution

Credit: alexlmx/AdobeStock

Carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. liquefied natural gas facilities have jumped to 18 million tons per year, up 81% since 2019, adding a volume of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere equivalent to that produced by several big coal plants, according to United States government data.They could more than double to 45 million tons per year by the end of the decade as new facilities, encouraged by soaring overseas demand for the super-cooled fuel, come online, according to company projections provided to the U.S.

19 Oct 2023

US EPA Proposes Changes to Ballast Water Regs

© tempakul / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a supplemental proposed rule to reduce the spread of invasive species though ballast water that occurs with normal operation of large marine vessels.Following public input on EPA’s 2020 proposed rule—including meetings with states, tribes and other stakeholders—the agency is now issuing a Supplemental Notice to share new data and control options raised by stakeholders. This supplemental proposal will bolster the development…

26 Sep 2023

The Real Cost of Net Zero Ports

© Kalyakan / Adobe Stock

Zero emission is a nice idea, but who’s going to pay for it? The U.S. EPA is readying big money for zero emission ports.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on two high-profile port initiatives that it hopes will move the needle in a big way towards U.S. ports’ zero emissions (ZE) operations and clean air goals.The first initiative started last May when EPA published a request for information and comments that would help the Agency develop Guidance it could use to evaluate funding requests for projects for zero-emission vehicles, port equipment and related infrastructure.

18 Sep 2023

OpEd: EPA Must Stop Unsafe and Costly California Maritime Mandate

© sheilaf2002 / Adobe Stock

California’s maritime sector is essential to America’s role in the global economy and to the supply chain. Yet, a mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has cast a shadow over the safety and efficiency of this sector, which will have far-reaching effects on the nation.While CARB’s intentions to bolster air quality are commendable, and California’s maritime industry has a proven track record of working to lower emissions, the hasty directive for tugboat operators…

17 Nov 2023

Capital Construction Funds: A New Opportunity For Vessel Financing On The Inland Waterways

© Carisa Mitchell / Adobe Stock

Recent changes have opened up the Capital Construction Fund program to owners and operators of vessels on the U.S. inland waterways.Among the programs offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. maritime industry, the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program is one that has remained largely unavailable to the owners and operators of vessels on the inland waterways—until now.Created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936…

24 Aug 2023

Port of Los Angeles Pays Tribute to Shipping Lines That Reduced Emissions

Source: Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles has recognized the achievements of more than two dozen shipping lines and carriers for participating in the Port’s Vessel Speed Reduction Program (VSRP), an air quality and annual incentive program for vessel operators who reduce their speed as they approach or depart the port.The voluntary program is one of many sustainability efforts currently underway at the Port to reduce emissions and decarbonize operations.Emission reductions are achieved under the…

15 Aug 2023

Matson Adjusts Its Sailing Schedule to Increase Whale Safety

© David Johnson / Adobe Stock

U.S.-based Pacific shipping company Matson announced it has adjusted its sailing routes to help reduce the risk of whale strikes off the coast of California.Shipping channels into and out of San Francisco Bay and the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex transit federally protected national marine sanctuaries. These sanctuaries –Monterey Bay, Greater Farallones, and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries–are destination feeding areas for threatened and endangered humpback and blue whales from late spring through the fall.In 2015…

03 Aug 2023

CMA CGM Settles with US EPA over Alleged Dumping Violations

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

France-based CMA CGM, the world’s third largest shipping container company, will pay $165,000 in penalties as part of its settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over claims of violations of EPA’s Vessel General Permit issued under the Clean Water Act. “The Vessel General Permit is a key element of the Clean Water Act. When companies and their ships don’t comply with this permit, the quality of our nation’s already-challenged waters can be seriously impacted,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.

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