Federal Agency News

2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA bill—Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nation’s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.

Oil and gas companies and environmental groups on Monday filed dueling legal challenges to the Biden administration's five-year plan to offer drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico.The petitions to a U.S. appeals court come four months after the Interior Department unveiled a congressionally-mandated plan for offshore leasing that included just three sales, the lowest since the government began publishing the schedules in 1980.The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade group…

Like many ports, the Alaskan Port of Homer faces aging infrastructure and capital needs well beyond the local funding capacity. The port is a key link in the supply chain for 47 remote, rural, disadvantaged or Alaska Native communities served by Homer, making proposed port infrastructure upgrades critical for shipping statewide as well as for the local community.Enter the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This unprecedented…

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…

The Canadian government has approved a marine container terminal expansion project in Delta, B.C., following a environmental assessment process that started in 2013.The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project includes building new land and a new three-berth marine container terminal near existing port terminals at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C., about 35 kilometers south of Vancouver. The project will incrementally deliver an additional 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of capacity…

A China-flagged cargo ship sank in the Strait of Tartary off the coast of Russia's Sakhalin island, the press service of Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told TASS on Wednesday, adding there were no casualties."The crew of 21 citizens of the People's Republic of China got onto the ice and was then taken on board of an approaching ship," TASS cited the press service."Everyone is well, there were no casualties."(Reuters - Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Tom Hogue)

A recently completed terminal expansion project at Canada's Port of Vancouver is set to boost capacity amid projected cargo volume growth at the Canadian West Coast seaport.The Construction on the Centerm Expansion Project—delivered by the the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in partnership with terminal operator DP World—allows Centerm to handle 60% more containers by increasing the terminal footprint by 15%. Work completed includes expanding the terminal footprint to the west and east…

NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (or NIST) are starting the new year off on the “right” foot.On New Year’s Eve, the two federal agency partners will officially retire the use of one of two measuring feet, to reduce surveying errors that can cost money.Discontinuing the use of the U.S. survey foot and embracing of its replacement — the international foot — are also part of NOAA’s modernization of the National Spatial Reference System.“Officially retiring one of these measurements will reduce accidental confusion in engineering…

Commercial cargo shipments on Russia’s Azovo-Don inland waterways have slumped in 2022 to the lowest level on record amid Western sanctions and traffic suspensions on vessels in the Azov sea, Russian Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport (Rosmorrechflot) said.The Azovo-Don waterways are used during the summer period as an alternative to railways for the export of cargoes, including oil products from Russian refineries via the ports of the Black and Azov Seas.Rosmorrechflot…

Commercial cargo shipments on Russia's Azovo-Don inland waterways have slumped in 2022 to the lowest level on record amid Western sanctions and traffic suspensions on vessels in the Azov sea, Russian Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport (Rosmorrechflot) said. The Azovo-Don waterways are used during the summer period as an alternative to railways for the export of cargoes, including oil products from Russian refineries via the ports of the Black and Azov Seas. Rosmorrechflot said the main reason for the decrease in the volume of cargo shipments was the restriction on ship movement through the Sea of Azov, as well as the sanctions imposed against Russian domestic companies and certain types of cargo.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA – also known as the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), contains a responder immunity provision. That provision states, in pertinent part:(A)A person is not liable for removal costs or damages which result from actions taken or omitted to be taken in the course of rendering care, assistance, or advice consistent with the National Contingency Plan or as otherwise directed by the President relating…

The U.S. Coast Guard must do more to improve safety in the extremely dangerous commercial fishing industry, according to a new report from watchdog agency the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Commercial fishing has one of the highest industry death rates in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since fiscal year 2011, multiple commercial fishing vessel safety requirements have been enacted. As the principal federal agency for ensuring marine safety, the U.S.

On September 14, 2022, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I Committee), Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a hearing which indicated a potential revitalization, and new enforcement regime, of U.S.-flag requirements under the Cargo Preference Act of 1954 (the CPA). The hearing occurred on the heels of a Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report regarding the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) lack of COA enforcement, with significant recommendations to revamp oversight by the agency to ensure a growing…

A $1 billion project to expand the Houston Ship Channel kicked off with an official ceremony last week, leading the way for greater safely, efficiency and economic growth in one of America’s busiest waterways.Known locally as Project 11 because it is the eleventh major construction project of the waterway in its more than 100-year history, the Houston Ship Channel expansion will widen the channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. It will also deepen some upstream segments to 46.5 feet…

On Wednesday, French oil & gas major TotalEnergies and U.S. utility Duke Energy were declared provisional winners of the two lease areas auctioned by BOEM, the federal agency in charge of offshore wind area leasing and project permitting. Whilst the results can be seen as a positive indicator of the health of U.S. offshore wind market in the context of pre-2022 auction activity, the winning bidders secured development rights at considerably lower rates than those seen in the recent New York Bight auctions.The comparatively shallow water sites cover 110…

If you’re interested in the inside track in the federal infrastructure world, check out the upcoming Legislative Summit being planned by AAPA – the American Association of Port Authorities, scheduled for March 29-31 at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center.A draft agenda is available and it’s a who’s who of heavy hitters, starting with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose remarks precede a roundtable session titled “Now We Build!” Another session is titled “How Ports Get to the Front of the Line for Infrastructure Funds.” The speaker is Mitch Landrieu…

In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare coined the phrase “salad days” to mean a youthful time filled with unbridled enthusiasm and idealism. Indeed, youth, much like salad, is often raw, flavorful and most of all… green. Therefore, it is fitting to think of our present time as the salad days of offshore energy in the United States. Let’s dig in.Executive Order appetizersOn January 27, President Biden took early steps to implement his campaign promise to transition the United States away from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy…

On Monday, March 29, the White House announced a government-wide effort to advance offshore wind, including 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, 110GW of U.S. offshore wind by 2050 and the development of a sustainable local offshore wind supply chain.“The announcement formalizes the current situation and provides more confidence to developers and the supply chain,” said World Energy Reports' Philip Lewis. “Much of what is referred to in the statements is actually already currently under development.”Lewis…

President-elect Joe Biden touted the diversity of his incoming administration as he introduced former rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary.Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved.Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said the 38-year-old would confront the task of upgrading America’s aging infrastructure and restoring what he called “our crumbling roads…

A federal agency said on Thursday it has again delayed a long-awaited environmental study crucial to permitting the first major U.S. offshore wind project, but final approval of the project is expected by mid-January.The study of the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project planned for the waters off the Massachusetts coast is expected to be released by December 11, according to a government timeline. It had been anticipated later this week.The document has been repeatedly pushed back…

Three people were reported missing after an explosion took place on a Russian oil tanker travelling through the Kerch Strait towards the port of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, the Russian federal maritime agency said.The General Hazi Aslanov was not carrying any oil, and the explosion was likely triggered by leftover fumes, the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said.A rescue operation was underway, the emergencies ministry said, adding that the emergency services had sent three vessels to help.There were 13 people on board, of whom six had been rescued and three were missing overboard. Four remained on deck, the ministry said. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Matthias Williams and Alison Williams)

Commissioner Louis E. Sola will lead a fact finding investigation and work with key industry stakeholders to identify commercial measures passenger cruise lines can adopt to mitigate COVID-19 related impacts to this sector of the maritime industry.The Federal Maritime Commission designated Commissioner Sola to serve as the Fact Finding Officer for Fact Finding 30, “COVID-19 Impact on Cruise Industry” in an order issued today.In the course of his investigation, Commissioner Sola…

Blank Rome’s maritime attorneys have represented clients in some of the largest maritime casualties in the last 20 years, including the Staten Island Ferry allision with a maintenance pier in New York, the blow out and eventual loss of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the sinking of the El Faro during Hurricane Joaquin, and the collision between the Navy Destroyer USS John S. McCain and the tanker ALNIC MC in the Singapore Strait. These casualties have resulted in the catastrophic loss of life…