Biden-Harris Administration Archives - Page 2 of 3

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA make $95 million available for fish passage as part of Investing in America agenda

October 30, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced two funding opportunities totaling $95 million through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to support new fish passage projects, with one focused on tribes. Projects will help protect and restore migrating fish and their habitats, and support communities and economies that depend on these resources.

“Thanks to President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment will further NOAA’s efforts to work with partners to strengthen safe passage for migratory fish, ensure healthy and sustainable fisheries, support local economies, and help boost communities’ resilience to climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Every year, millions of fish attempt to migrate to their spawning and rearing habitats to reproduce. They are often blocked from completing their journey by human-made barriers, such as dams and culverts. When fish cannot reach their habitat, they cannot reproduce and maintain or grow their populations. Fish passage projects reopen these pathways and are important for the protection and restoration of migrating fish and their habitats.

The two funding opportunities announced today are:

The $75 million Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity, which will fund projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish across the coasts and Great Lakes.
The $20 million Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity, which will support tribes and tribal organizations in implementing fish passage work and building tribal capacity to sustain these efforts.

“These investments reflect a continuation of decades of work by NOAA Fisheries to recover threatened and endangered migratory fish and support the sustainability of commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Our work with tribal organizations to improve fish passage is vital for building long-term tribal capacity to sustain and manage culturally significant resources and habitats.”

These competitions will prioritize projects that demonstrate a broad base of community support. Projects developed with inclusive practices that incorporate meaningful strategies to engage a diverse range of community groups, including tribes and underserved communities, will also be prioritized.

Tribes are eligible to apply to both funding opportunities, to support barrier removal efforts that benefit tribally-important migratory fish and to build tribal organizational capacity to participate in developing current and future fish passage projects.

NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation has run four funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. To date, the program has funded 214 awards totaling $985 million through these competitions.

The application deadline for the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Funding Opportunity is February 10, 2025 and the deadline for applications for the Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage Funding Opportunity is February 27, 2025.

Additional information is available on the NOAA Fisheries website.

Biden administration races to shell out billions for clean energy as election nears

October 21, 2024 — The Biden administration is shelling out billions of dollars for clean energy and approving major offshore wind projects as officials race to secure major climate initiatives before President Joe Biden’s term comes to an end.

Biden wants to establish a legacy for climate action that includes locking in a trajectory for reducing the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to rescind unspent funds in Biden’s landmark climate and health care bill and stop offshore wind development if he returns to the White House in January.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told The Associated Press on Friday it would be “political malpractice” to undo clean energy incentives that are benefiting all pockets of America, with most of the investments going to counties with below-average weekly wages and college graduation rates.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

Biden announces USD 2 million for red snapper recovery efforts

October 18, 2024 — U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced USD 2 million (EUR 1.8 million) to help red snapper populations recover in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This USD 2 million investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), will boost NOAA’s ability to support red snapper populations by expanding scientific partnerships that improve data collection and help us understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on fisheries in coastal regions nationwide,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA announce $2 million for partnerships to support red snapper recovery

October 16, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and NOAA announced they will award approximately $2 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds to collect data and improve modeling through partnerships with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami. These partnerships are critical to NOAA Fisheries’ work to improve scientific data and management decisions for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

Collecting more fisheries data will enable NOAA Fisheries and state partners to better understand and adapt to the impacts of climate change, increase data reliability and adjust management decisions that will support red snapper populations.

“This $2 million investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will boost NOAA’s ability to support red snapper populations by expanding scientific partnerships that improve data collection and help us understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on fisheries in coastal regions nationwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Approximately $1 million of this funding will go to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to expand the for-hire at-sea program into the western Gulf of Mexico. NOAA Fisheries and the Commission will deploy at-sea samplers in the Louisiana and Texas for-hire fishery, extending the coverage of at-sea data collection programs. This effort will enhance recreational discard data, a key priority for NOAA Fisheries, and for the first time in history all five Gulf states will have active at-sea data collection programs for for-hire fisheries in federal waters.

Additionally, approximately $1 million will be distributed to NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami to develop next-generation surveys using acoustic technology to improve red snapper detection. This research will focus on leveraging advanced technology and artificial intelligence to enhance red snapper surveys and abundance estimates in the Gulf of Mexico. Harnessing the power of advanced technology and artificial intelligence is pivotal to improving the clarity and credibility of fisheries data.

“NOAA Fisheries’ collaborations with state and academic organizations are a critical part of strengthening scientific rigor and improving data collection for recreational fisheries, leading to more timely and accurate information for managing red snapper and other reef fish,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Greater data certainty will enable NOAA Fisheries and state partners to better address the effects of climate change on fisheries and fishing communities.”

This funding is part of NOAA Fisheries’ red snapper recovery efforts first announced in October 2023. These investments are part of the historic $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments first announced in June 2023, which are focused on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to climate change.

Visit the Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

Biden administration designates Chumash marine sanctuary on California Central Coast

October 15, 2024 — The Biden administration said Friday it has designated 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along 116 miles of California’s Central Coast as the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

The sanctuary, which stretches from from just south of the Diablo Canyon power plant in San Luis Obispo County to the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, is the third-largest in the National Marine Sanctuary System, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

It is also the first tribally nominated sanctuary in the United States, said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat representing California and chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife.

“After years of advocacy, today’s announcement finally honors the Chumash people’s sacred waters as a National Marine Sanctuary and safeguards a vibrant and diverse Central Coast ecosystem,” Padilla said. “This sanctuary designation marks a hard-fought victory for the Chumash people, our conservation priorities, and the responsible development of offshore wind as California strives to meet its ambitious clean energy goals.”

Read the full article at Courthouse News Service

Fishing communities call on Biden-Harris Administration to update National Standard guidelines

October 15, 2024 — We have a simple message: it’s time for the Biden-Harris Administration to update the National Standard 4, 8, and 9 guidelines. The next step is to publish the Proposed Rule developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to update the guidelines. The Administration should move this forward as soon as possible.

Across the country, fishermen are grappling with shifting stocks, collapsing markets, and vanishing opportunity. It’s not all doom and gloom, but there’s plenty of both to be found walking the docks in 2024. What we see on the water and in our communities makes clear that the ways federal fishery management allocates access to resources, treats communities, and stops bycatch in one fishery from impacting another must be modernized.

To build climate resilience and ensure that coastal communities maintain access to their local fisheries, action is needed now. As a recent study from the Government Accountability Office (the leading federal watchdog) points out, there’s a serious need to build in measurable goals and objectives for bycatch accountability, with enforceable timelines for their achievement. And as we have emphasized to NMFS, updating the National Standard guidelines represents a key opportunity for substantial progress. Congress has explicitly authorized NMFS to make these updates, and the agency must take the opportunity.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA invest more than $3.3 million to launch nationwide marine debris survey

October 10, 2024 — Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced an award of more than $3.3 million in funding to support the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey. This funding will support a one-year, standalone, nationwide marine debris assessment, done in partnership with 1stMission LLC, that aims to broaden the understanding of marine debris, including the types and amounts of debris found on U.S. shorelines. These funds are provided by NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Marine debris poses significant threats to water quality, marine habitats and the economic prosperity of coastal communities nationwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this investment of over $3 million will help us understand how marine debris affects our shorelines, expand protections for marine environments and the industries that depend on them, and support a healthier and more prosperous future for coastal communities.”

The nationwide initiative builds on more than a decade of collaborative monitoring efforts with partner agencies, community groups and participants through the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, as well as an earlier federal initiative known as the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program. The data collected through this comprehensive monitoring effort will be made freely available to the public.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Biden, DeSantis sound alarm as Milton barrels toward Florida

October 9, 2024 — Floridians evacuating what could be the most powerful hurricane to strike the Tampa Bay region in a century crawled Tuesday along Florida’s major highways, seeking higher ground before Milton’s expected Wednesday night landfall.

Scientists at the National Hurricane Center said the slightly weakened hurricane — which skirted the northern Yucatan Peninsula on Monday night into Tuesday morning — continued to track eastward across a warm Gulf of Mexico, drawing up energy as it approaches Florida’s central Gulf Coast.

In brief remarks before reporters at the White House, President Joe Biden sounded the alarm about Milton’s threat, noting that the storm was projected to both strike Florida’s west coast as a hurricane and possibly exit the east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean at hurricane strength.

Read the full article at E&E News

No immediate disruptions reported from port strike as trade unions pressure Biden to take action

October 3, 2024 — The International Longshoreman’s Association East and Gulf Coast port strike has entered its third day, and while the rhetoric is heating up, there have been few supply chain disruptions reported so far.

Despite few disruptions pressure is mounting from trade groups for President Biden to use his legal powers to end the strike, especially since the damage from Hurricane Helene has left North Carolina in need of aid supplies.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden-Harris Administration Announces First Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Maine

September 16, 2024 — The following was released by BOEM:

The Department of the Interior today announced it will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale on Oct. 29, 2024, for eight areas on the Outer Continental Shelf off Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. If fully developed, these areas have a potential capacity of approximately 13 gigawatts of clean offshore wind energy, which could power more than 4.5 million homes. The announcement follows the Department’s recent announcement that it has approved more than 15 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind projects since the start of the Biden-Harris administration—equivalent to half of the capacity needed to achieve President Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department has held five offshore wind lease sales, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and sales offshore the Pacific, Central Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico, and approved 10 commercial-scale offshore wind projects. Earlier this year, Secretary Haaland announced a schedule of potential additional lease sales through 2028.