The Gulf Research Program was established in 2013 as part of the settlement of criminal charges against two companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The federal government entrusted the National Academies with $500 million to enhance human health, environmental resources, and the safety of offshore energy systems in the Gulf of Mexico region.
During the next year, this phase of the cleanup will be closed out, and long-term operations and maintenance of the site will transfer to the state in 2020. EPA reported that its activities at the W.R. Grace mine site will continue into the near future.
During the early 1990s, only 28 percent of bathing waters would have met today's standards, but big improvements have been made to water quality during the past two decades, in part thanks to EA regulations reducing pollution from water companies and industry, as well as the work of local councils and communities.
It allocates $291 million in project funding to address environmental restoration and enhancement, as well as economic revitalization, along Florida's Gulf Coast in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010.
Named Odysseus, it is described by the Boeing-owned company as "a groundbreaking persistence aircraft inspired by the need for climate and atmospheric research."
The forest in Volusia County, Fla., is composed of more than 10 natural communities, including pine flatwoods, floodplain wetlandsm and basin swamps, and is part of an extensive wildlife corridor that provides habitat and roaming area crucial to the survival of the Florida black bear population in the area.
It calls for designating Virginia's secretary of natural resources as the chief resilience officer of the Commonwealth, a review of the vulnerability of Commonwealth-owned buildings, development of a Virginia coastal resilience master plan, a review of pre-disaster mitigation programs, and a review of compliance with flood protection and dam safety laws.
By implementing natural infrastructure through living shoreline design, we can develop solutions that provide a multitude of benefits that include performing against the rising sea levels, managing flood risk, and providing ecological benefits, all at the same time.
The new law extends the NOAA Marine Debris Program for five additional years and authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare severe marine debris events.
In Austin, 100-year rainfall amounts for 24 hours increased as much as three inches, up to 13 inches. 100-year estimates around Houston increased from 13 inches to 18 inches and values previously classified as 100-year events are now much more frequent 25-year events.
"Keith has provided outstanding legal counseling to DEP for the past four years," said Patrick McDonnell, Pennsylvania DEP secretary. "His broad experience within DEP and his extensive knowledge of environmental law will serve the council very well as they explore big-picture issue areas affecting the commonwealth."
Missouri Department of Conservation Forest Entomologist Robbie Doerhoff urged Missourians who own ash trees in areas where EAB has been found to make a plan now to either treat or remove those trees.
On average, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources responds to 22 wildfires annually on lands it manages that are caused by shooting, a number that includes illegal explosive targets and target practice.
Volunteers are invited to build sand castles using sand that was deposited in an anchialine pool during the 2011 tsunami.
The project brings together scientists from five universities and the NSF-funded National Center for Atmospheric Research. "This is a challenging field campaign," said atmospheric scientist Emily Fischer of Colorado State University. "It's not like measuring the plume from, say, a power plant."
"Sharks and the scientists who study them have led us to improvements in aerodynamics, renewable energy, electrical sensors, and health and medical research. Innovative shark research can benefit marine ecosystems and continue to raise public awareness about these important species," said committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D.
"Operation Thunderstorm has seen significant seizures at global level, showing how coordinated global operations can maximize impact," said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock. "Operation Thunderstorm sends a clear message to wildlife criminals that the world's law enforcement community is homing in on them."
During 2017, NOAA documented the deaths of 17 right whales within U.S. and Canadian waters. With an estimated population of only 450 right whales remaining in existence, only 25 percent identified as breeding females, the impact of these deaths is a major blow to conservation efforts and vitality of the species.
Gov. Steve Bullock on March 28 announced the next steps for the Parrot Tailings Waste Removal Project in Butte, saying the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program has issued the bid package for the first phase of the project.
The study will analyze storm and ice-jam flood mitigation needs in high-risk areas, including Schenectady, N.Y., which experienced ice-jam flooding in February 2018. The study will include recommendations to mitigate future hazards on the Mohawk River and other waterbodies across New York state.