White House Council On Environmental Quality News

"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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

The Bush Administration announced major budget increases totaling more than $140 million to support coastal and marine conservation efforts in Fiscal Year 2008, and released the administration's Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality James L. Connaughton, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr. John H. Marburger, III, and Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Dr. Arden Bement made the announcements today at the White House. The…