House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) have asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review what they call “significant delivery delays” in two key Coast Guard programs—the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Security Cutter—as well as related budgetary issues. The Offshore Patrol Cutter… Read More
Staggeringly high amounts of “forever chemicals” contaminate groundwater near multiple military sites along the Chesapeake Bay, posing a threat to public health and the environment. Documents from the Department of Defense obtained by the Environmental Working Group show levels of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, ranging from 0.8 million to 2.2 million parts per… Read More
Upper Narragansett Bay plant cleans Providence sewage with focus on health, technology and nature PROVIDENCE — The wastewater operation in Rhode Island’s capital is based on the 19th-century sewers of Paris, but has evolved from a detour into the river to a system able to recycle millions of gallons daily with the aid of gravity,… Read More
Municipal Resilience Program helps cities and towns deal with coastal erosion and rising waters Shortly after he was named Rhode Island’s first chief resiliency officer, in mid-September 2017, Shaun O’Rourke was handed a monumental task: write a state resiliency plan to deal with the climate crisis by July 1, 2018. The plan was to include… Read More
Following last week’s Senate approval of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, Louisiana will get $5.9 billion over five years to build roads and bridges, which, according to Senator Bill Cassidy, is about $1.2 billion more than expected. Several provisions included in the bill will benefit Louisiana directly, including $3.5 billion that will go toward… Read More
It’s possible to be optimistic about the ocean’s health without also being naïve. Marine fisheries are reasonably well-managed, protected areas are expanding and we’re getting better at coastal restoration. It’s important to share these successes, scientists say, to avoid paralysing feelings of hopelessness. Yes, we’ve got an ocean of bad news. Climate change is warming… Read More
Orange County Parks announced the closure of 1,000 Steps Beach stairs through Wednesday. LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Orange County Parks announced the closure of the 12-flight stair access to 1,000 Steps Beach this week. The stair access would be closed until Wednesday, according to an OC Parks spokesperson. “The closure is necessary to repair multiple… Read More
OCEANSIDE — The City of Oceanside is installing several groins and a sand bypass system as part of a newly approved pilot project meant to improve the city’s disappearing beaches. During a special workshop on Aug. 11, the Oceanside City Council voted 4-1 to approve the pilot project as recommended by the Beach Sand Replenishment… Read More
PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission received an update about Mountwood Park from officials during a meeting on Thursday morning. According to Wood County Parks Director Jeremy Cross, one of the main projects has been trying to dredge Mountwood Park’s lake marina area due to shallow water up six or eight inches. Although the lake… Read More
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today announced the Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act, which would drive domestic manufacturing and offshore wind deployment. Offshore wind bill The offshore wind supply chain currently exists mainly in Europe, China, and South Korea. With the growing number of offshore wind leases… Read More
At one time, offshore service vessels were the bread and butter work of many U.S. Gulf Coast shipbuilders. Those days are long gone and, with them, a few shipyards. The big hope for a revival of offshore vessel construction, of course, lies in offshore wind. Right now, we are beginning to see the first few… Read More
Census data shows Americans are moving out of locales most insulated from climate change and into the most climate-threatened regions. The results could be disastrous in the near future. Science has provided America with a decent idea of which areas of our country will be most devastated by climate change, and which areas will be most insulated… Read More
Authorizations to build Texas LNG export terminals, pipelines not vacated FERC told failed analysis of projects’ impacts on environmental justice communities FERC chairman Glick says body has ‘obligation’ to analyze impacts of greenhouse gas emissions (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) must further analyze the… Read More
Plans to salvage the eroding Capistrano Beach could have a rocky start. OC Parks is proposing cobblestone buffers that could be topped with sand dunes and vegetation to salvage what’s left of the battered Dana Point beach. The county agency, which manages the 1,500-foot-long shoreline wedged between Doheny State Beach to the north and a… Read More
Rowers and paddlers are increasingly worried about the rising Schuylkill Riverbed between Boathouse Row and Strawberry Mansion Bridge. But work to dredge the river has been at a standstill since late last year, with no progress in sight. Source