Ocean and Coastal Highlights

BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (ESP) celebrates its golden anniversary of providing innovative scientific data that has informed the bureau’s decisions for 50 years.

In March, DOI announced over $353 million in fiscal year 2022 energy revenues to be distributed to the four offshore Gulf oil and gas producing states – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to support coastal conservation and restoration projects, hurricane protection programs, onshore infrastructure projects, and activities to implement marine and coastal resilience management plans.

The New York Bight offshore wind sale was the nation’s highest grossing competitive offshore energy lease sale in history! $4.37 Billion investments will play an important role in tackling the climate crisis and creating thousands of good-paying, union jobs across the nation.

Introducing this new NEWSWAVE feature, Secretary Haaland shares highlights of the work DOI is doing to bolster our Blue Portfolio.

USGS co-chairs the U.S. Sea level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazards Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force which published updated sea-level rise projections out to 2050, offering information to help communities prepare and reduce risk related to sea-level rise.

A new report by BOEM and NOAA includes a complete inventory of WW2 shipwreck sites off the coast of North Carolina, that will help us manage our historic properties as we plan offshore activities.

USGS and NPS partnered in a nationwide HAB field study in parks that experience recurring HABs and related human and wildlife issues. The program is sampling six marine and 12 freshwater parks and is designed to address critical management needs, such as monitoring and response.

USFWS Chesapeake Bay Field Office hosts fellows with the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Diversity Fellowship. The RAY Fellowship is a two-year position dedicated to creating opportunities for emerging leaders of color who are passionate about engaging in conservation and clean energy.

Fragmented and lost habitat across monarch migratory pathways have caused significant population declines that threaten the species. Poplar Island, a restored coastal area in Chesapeake Bay, provides critical habitat for migrating monarch butterflies and a chance to help tag and study them.

The Atlantic Marine Bird Cooperative has published a report with a plan to address marine debris impacts on birds, which include entanglement, entrapment, ingestion and degraded nesting habitat.