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Department Of Environmental Protection News

09 Dec 2023

Oil Sample Lab Results Help ID Responsible Party

In 2019 crew conduct a shore cleanup at Jacob Riis Park Beach in New York, cleaning up tar balls reported on the beach. (U.S Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Dickinson)

The unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Office of Emergency Management, and Monmouth County Department of Health, received oil sample lab results from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Laboratory Friday, linking together oil spill cleanup efforts in both New York and New Jersey.Vane Brothers Company, as represented by Gallagher Marine Systems, has been identified as the responsible party.

18 Jul 2023

USACE Awarded a Slew of Dredging Work in the First Half of 2023

(Photo: Dredging Contractors of America)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is snapping back from the doldrums of COVID-19, wrapping up a strong first half of 2023 with a slew of awarded dredging work.“The federal government is no different from state and local governments, nor the private sector when it comes to COVID-19 work related recovery and USACE is not an exception,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America. “The Army Corps has been steadily issuing contract awards since February, and that’s on the award side.

10 Jul 2023

Coast Guard and Local Authorities Join Forces in Response to Port Newark Vessel Fire

The Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and multiple state and area agencies respond to a fire in Port Newark on the vehicle carrier ship, Grande Costa D’Avorio. Fire fighting crews are working to extinguish the fire both from the pier and from FDNY fireboats. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dan Henry)

A Unified Command has been established to continue response to the fire aboard Grimaldi cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio, which caught fire Wednesday night around 9:30 PM at the Port of Newark, an incident in which two firefighters died Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and Gallagher Marine Systems (as representative of the ship operator) have established a Unified Command in Port Newark, supported by a host of federal…

05 Dec 2022

Coast Guard Monitoring Oil Discharge from Scuttled Liberty Ship

A seasonal oil sheen on Aug. 29, 2022, near Destin, Fla. Coast Guard and Florida Department of Environmental Protection have been monitoring periodic oil discharge from Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward. (Photo: Joshua Ronkowski / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are monitoring periodic discharges of oil from the Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, a World War II era vessel sunk in 1977 to serve as an artificial reef approximately six miles southwest of Destin, Fla.Following Hurricane Sally in September 2020, the National Response Center (NRC) began receiving reports of pollution in the vicinity of the artificial reef. Coast Guard personnel conducted preliminary investigations…

26 May 2022

Delaware Bay Barge Fire Extinguished

Thumbnail photo credit: Memorial Fire Company Sta 89/Facebook

The fire on board the barge in the Delaware Bay that started burning on Monday, has been extinguished Tuesday, and Northstar Environmental and Marine Services has been contracted to assess the integrity of the vessel and manage salvage operations, U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.A Unified Command consisting of representatives from Eastern Metal Recycling, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, Cumberland County Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard has been established to oversee salvage operations.According to the U.S.

30 Jul 2021

U.S. Looking at Ways to Compensate Fishing Industry for Offshore Wind Impacts

Credit: shaunwilkinson/AdobeStock

The Biden administration is considering ways to ensure the U.S. commercial fishing industry is paid for any losses it incurs from the planned expansion of offshore wind power in the Atlantic Ocean, according to state and federal officials involved in the matter, [Reuters reported in an exclusive on Thursday.]Discussions between state and federal officials, which participants described as being at a very early stage, are aimed at addressing the top threat to President Joe Biden's…

19 Nov 2020

Derecktor Breaks Ground on New Florida Shipyard

Derecktor officials broke ground at the Port on Friday, November 13 during a small ceremony where federal, state and local dignitaries brandishing golden shovels, hard hats and face masks gathered to commemorate the historic occasion. (Photo: Steven Martine, handout via Derecktor Shipyards)

Plans to convert the century-old Port of Fort Pierce into a repair and refit facility for the global fleet of megayachts and large sailing yachts are moving full speed ahead.After a lengthy permitting and review process, Derecktor Shipyards has been granted approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners and the City of Fort Pierce to begin construction of its newest shipyard – Derecktor Ft.

05 Oct 2020

Cracked Containership Departs Bayonne for Repair After Oil Spill

© Michal / Adobe Stock

A containership that was leaking fuel oil through a crack in its hull has left its mooring in Bayonne, N.J. to undergo repairs at different a facility within the Port of New York/New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Liberian-flagged YM Mandate had stopped leaking last week after the spill was reported from the 300 meter long, 6,572 TEU capacity vessel on Tuesday.The Coast Guard said box ship departed the Global Container Terminal Saturday after bunker fuel was removed from the affected tank, the ship was cleaned and a dive survey confirmed no additional damage.

30 Sep 2020

Cracked Containership No Longer Leaking Oil in NY Harbor

Oil is no longer leaking from the cracked hull of a containership moored in the Port of New Yok and New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.A sheen around the Danaos-owned YM Mandate was first reported to the Coast Guard on Monday after the ship arrived at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., from Halifax, N.S.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding since after the Coast Guard confirmed the Liberian-flagged vessel was leaking oil from a crack in its hull.Oil containment boom and absorbent pads are deployed around the 300 meter long, 6,572 TEU capacity YM Mandate, and skimming vessels continue to remove oil from the water.

29 Sep 2020

Containership with Cracked Hull Leaking Fuel Oil in Bayonne, NJ

A containership with a visible crack in its hull is leaking fuel oil at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding after the National Response Center contacted Coast Guard Sector New York watchstanders, Monday, reporting a sheen near the Liberian-flagged vessel YM Mandate.A nearby Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) New York boat crew reported a small crack in the ship’s hull which was leaking fuel oil. Coast Guard investigators confirmed the leak.The 300 meter long…

31 Oct 2019

Offshore Wind: a Freshening Breeze?

AdobeStock_CREDIT Yauhen Suslo

July brought news about offshore wind. There was something for everyone: optimism, disappointment, and construction, too.Finally, starting with Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, a joint venture with Danish wind developer Orsted is underway. True, this is a small project – just two wind turbines to be installed 27 miles east of Virginia Beach. But considering all the preceding hurdles, news about Dominion blew in as proverbial, hopeful fresh air. Surely…

10 Dec 2018

Fishing Vessel Sinks in New Jersey

U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station Manasquan Inlet

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is monitoring the salvage of a partially-sunken commercial fishing vessel in Manasquan Inlet, N.J.Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center received notification at 2 a.m. Saturday that the 44-foot fishing vessel Miss Kathleen allided with the northern Manasquan Inlet jetty and was taking on water with three people and a dog aboard.The Miss Kathleen’s captain intentionally grounded the vessel on Dog Beach, about 20 yards outside the channel.

02 Dec 2018

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Backs Offshore Wind

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is remaining committed to supporting the state’s goals of generating 3.5GW of offshore wind by 2030 and reaching 100% of renewable energy by 2050.The Offshore Wind Supply Chain Networking Event at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment provided information about the state’s plans for offshore wind, supply chain opportunities, available incentives, and workforce development programs.The event was co-sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Department of Environmental Protection, and Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as well as several offshore wind related businesses.

20 Nov 2018

Eagle LNG Receives Draft EIS

Eagle LNG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferus Natural Gas Fuels, informed that the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted the company their draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).The draft EIS puts Eagle LNG on a clear path to FID on the Jacksonville Export Project and continues Eagle LNG’s success in using small-scale LNG to supply bunkering to the marine industry and to provide small scale LNG cargoes to markets in the Caribbean.“Our customers, and potential clients, join us in being encouraged that FERC has released the DEIS ahead of schedule. It moves us considerably closer to meeting our goal of expanding clean burning, domestic, and affordable LNG supply for marine bunkering and for small-scale LNG projects in the Caribbean.

15 Apr 2018

USCG respond to oil leak in Mystic River

The Coast Guard and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to a dielectric oil leak Friday in the Mystic River near the Alford St. bridge. The source is believed to be a small, slow leak from a cable under the river. Initially, Mass DEP and a pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector Boston discovered a notable rainbow sheen during a routine patrol of the river. Boom was deployed around the sheen, and later, an investigation determined the probable source was a cable encased in a metal pipeline which runs under the river. The exact location of the leak along the pipe has not yet been identified. Both agencies…

11 Jan 2018

Sunken Vessel Discharging Oil in West Virginia

Gate City sunk and discharged oil near mile marker 8 on the Big Sandy River near Butler, West Virginia (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

Towboat Gate City has sunk and is reportedly discharging oil near mile marker 8 on the Big Sandy River near Butler, W.Va. The vessel is discharging oil into the river “with a maximum potential of 5,000 gallons,” according to the U.S. Coast Guard, who said it received a report that the vessel had sunk at its mooring Wednesday morning. A Coast Guard pollution response team arrived on scene and is working with the oil spill response organization Weavertown to deploy boom and contain the oil and begin cleanup operations.

12 Apr 2017

New US Pipelines to Drive Natural Gas Boom as Exports Surge

© Yauheni Chazlou / Adobe Stock

U.S. energy firms are scrambling to finish a slew of pipelines that will unleash rich reserves of shale gas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio as the nation prepares to become one of the world’s top natural gas exporters. The pipelines are expected to boost output from shale fields in the three states by giving producers access to new domestic and international markets. Those states could supply about a third of all U.S. natural gas once the pipeline expansion is complete, up from about 25 percent now, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

06 Feb 2017

Oil Spill in Fore River, Maine

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to an oil spill in the Fore River in Maine along with Maine Department of Environmental Protection and local fire departments.   According to initial reports, the cause of the spill was a car accident involving an overturned tank truck carrying diesel fuel on Interstate I-295.   Pollution responders from Coast Guard Station South Portland and Coast Guard Sector Northern New England are on scene.

14 Apr 2016

BOEM, Jacksonville, U.S. Army Corps Ink Shore Protection Deal

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has signed an agreement with the City of Jacksonville, Fla., and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizing them to dredge nearly 1.4 million cubic yards of sand from federal waters for periodic renourishment of the Duval County shoreline. The shore protection project, using sand from the seafloor of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), will restore a 10-mile stretch of coast between the St. Johns River entrance and the Duval County/St. Johns County boundary along the Atlantic Ocean. Dredging is expected to begin in the summer of 2016. “BOEM is pleased to support the City of Jacksonville with this restoration project,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper.

05 Jan 2016

Joint Effort on to Repair Hudson River Cable

Hudson Transmission Partners, LLC (HTP), owner and operator of an electric power cable buried beneath the Hudson River between Edgewater, New Jersey and New York City, is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), and other agencies to contain the release of small amounts of non-toxic cable fluid into the Hudson River. The fluid release was detected on Saturday and is the apparent result of damage to a portion of the cable in the Hudson River near the New Jersey shoreline in Edgewater. Spill responders were dispatched to the area on Saturday and have contained the cable fluid with booms and absorbent materials.

10 Sep 2015

Penobscot Bay Dredging Called Off, for Now

The Army Corps of Engineers withdrew on Tuesday its state permitting application for a Penobscot Bay dredging project opposed by lobstermen, tourism business owners and environmentalists. The Portland Press Herald reports Corps project manager Barbara Blumeris sent a letter to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday saying that the federal agency was withdrawing its application for requisite state permits. Opponents of the controversial $12 million dredging project for the local harbor hailed news Wednesday that state and federal officials had withdrawn their permit application from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

04 Aug 2015

Coast Guard Monitors Oil Recovery Ops near Bayonne, NJ

Coast Guard crews are continuing to monitor oil recovery operations (ORO) in the water near the International-Matex Tank Terminal (IMTT) Bayonne, New Jersey, Monday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received notification at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday from IMTT crewmembers of an oil spill as a result of an allision between a tug and a fuel terminal pier. The Coast Guard immediately launched members from the Sector New York Pollution Response Team to investigate. A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, also responded. At this time, it is estimated that less than 1,000 gallons of oil entered the water and contracted crews are in the process of recovering the product.

19 May 2015

USCG Terminates Charters Boat Voyage In Buzzards Bay

The Coast Guard terminated the trip of a 23-foot charter vessel today in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, due to an expired operator's license and evidence of illegal fishing. During a random safety boarding, a crew from Coast Guard Station Woods Hole, Massachusetts, boarded the vessel and discovered the master's license had expired in 2008. Upon further inspection, the crew found black sea bass which were illegally caught during the off season. Black sea bass season does not open until May 23rd in the State of Massachusetts. The Station Woods Hole crew escorted the vessel and its five passengers back to the dock. Upon arrival at the dock, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found more than 100 black sea bass aboard and seized the catch.