Saving Seafood

Offshore wind is stumbling. Can Biden save the industry?

November 2, 2023 — The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to take action to bolster the offshore wind industry after a major project was canceled in New Jersey on Tuesday, although options appear limited to ease financial hurdles facing developers.

So far, the administration is reiterating that the industry will continue to grow and that President Joe Biden’s goals for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 will be achieved, even as many states and analysts say otherwise.

“Biden’s offshore wind goals look impossible at this point of time,” said Chelsea Jean-Michel, a wind analyst with BloombergNEF, a research and analysis firm.

Read the full article at E&E News

America’s Offshore Wind Ambitions Are Coming With Bigger Price Tags

November 1, 2023 — Soaring costs are pushing up the price of big wind-power projects, challenging the country’s shift to renewable energy and potentially leading to larger-than-expected bills for residents.

New York state officials in recent days unveiled a slate of wind-farm proposals that would result in higher electricity rates for residents than previously approved plans. That has firms behind older bids rushing to see if they can resubmit their plans at or near the new rate.

The projects are among the country’s biggest and are being closely watched because they show how a nascent industry that is key to the U.S. energy transition will work through the upheaval of escalating costs. The struggles are threatening delays in the current pipeline of projects, which analysts say could hamper the Biden administration’s offshore wind ambitions.

Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal

Biden administration moves toward more wind energy in Gulf of Mexico

October 31, 2023 — The Biden administration took a step Friday to advance the development of more wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Interior Department finalized four new “wind energy areas” where it can auction off the right to set up wind power.

Together, electricity produced at the four areas could be enough to power as many as 3.23 million homes combined, according to the administration.

Three of the locations are off the coast of Texas, while one is off the coast of Louisiana.

Elizabeth Klein, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said in a written statement that her agency is pursuing more offshore wind in the Gulf because of “continued industry interest and feedback from our partners and key stakeholders.”

Read the full article at The Hill

 

Biden administration announces USD 20 million in funding for fisheries management addressing climate change

October 28, 2023 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and NOAA announced an additional USD 20 million (EUR 18.9 million) in funding for NOAA to assist regional fishery management councils with tackling the impact of climate change on fisheries management.

The funding, according to a release from NOAA, will be provided via the Inflation Reduction Act to support the various councils’ work on climate-related fisheries management and implementation.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Delano: Biden administration won’t leave lobstermen alone

October 26, 2023 — Lawmakers and a federal appeals court last year defeated a federal plan to save endangered whales by eradicating New England’s lobster industry. With those plans undone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is crafting a workaround scheme to regulate lobstermen out of the fishery.

Recent years have been brutal going for lobstermen, such that the survival of our trade is highly uncertain. Lobstermen are at once negotiating higher fuel costs, higher bait costs, higher shipping costs, and an agitation campaign from dark money nonprofits trained on major buyers of Maine lobster products. NOAA’s new regulatory plan is poised to decimate our inventory.

NOAA’s new plan – a rule promulgated under the Marine Mammal Protection Act – would expand an existing restricted area, where lobster fishing is banned for three months each year. The scope of the expansion is unclear as of this writing, but any expansion is unwelcome as a matter of precedent and a practical business matter.

As with the previous plan, NOAA is allegedly crafting its new rule to protect the endangered north Atlantic right whale. The agency maintains vessel strikes and entanglements with lobster gear are killing these marine mammals.

Read the full article at the Boston Herald

 

Biden-Harris Administration announces $20 million to boost red snapper science in the Southeast as part of Investing in America agenda

October 26, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced plans for $20 million in funding to address the impacts of climate change on red snapper and other reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. These funds will support the efforts of NOAA and the Gulf of Mexico states to determine the best tools to collect reliable recreational fishing data that support science and management decision-making for red snapper. 

The funding is from the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history. It will strengthen NOAA’s efforts to share and exchange standardized state and federal data, harness the power of advanced technology and artificial intelligence to improve timeliness of data collection, and enhance state recreational data management systems for estimating landings, discards and fishing effort. 

“Red snapper is one of the Gulf of Mexico’s most iconic species and perhaps one of the region’s greatest management success stories,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These funds, made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, will improve NOAA’s data collection efforts and management decisions for red snapper and dozens of other species, thereby benefiting millions of anglers.” 

Distribution of these funds is underway, with NOAA Fisheries awarding the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission nearly $1.5 million through a cooperative agreement to modernize state recreational data management systems. The commission — in coordination with NOAA Fisheries — will work with state and federal partners to ensure common data standards, create and enhance certified state data systems and host workshops to improve data accuracy.

NOAA Fisheries intends to use the funding in the following three areas:

  • Develop and implement Gulf of Mexico video and acoustic camera surveys to improve reef fish data timeliness and generation of density estimates ($2 million).
  • Collaborate with Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and state partners to increase accessibility of state survey data ($7.35 million).
  • Improve the estimates of recreational fishing effort and discards, which represent two of the greatest sources of uncertainty in managing and assessing Gulf of Mexico reef fish ($10.65 million).

“We know climate change is impacting many fish species, and these effects are not fully understood,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “With our partners at the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, we are working to improve state and federal recreational data collection so we can provide even more robust data and metrics to our fishing communities.”

Climate change has a specific impact on life in the ocean, as droughts, floods, rising seas, ocean acidification and warming waters change marine habitats and the behavior patterns of the wildlife in those habitats. 

This funding was first announced in June 2023 as part of the historic $3.3 billion in investments focused on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to climate change.

Please visit NOAA’s Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

NOAA aids Puerto Rico coral reef restoration through support of the Biden Administration

October 4, 2023 — The Biden administration awarded USD 34.4 million (EUR 32.5 million) in April toward projects to combat climate change in Puerto Rico, including ocean restoration.

Eight projects have been selected for grants to boost both economic and environmental outcomes for Puerto Rico’s coastal communities. The selected projects, the administration said, will benefit the community across Puerto Rico.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fifth Circuit postpones federal ruling on offshore lease sales in Gulf of Mexico

September 28, 2023 — Last week a federal judge ruled the Biden administration must go through with offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico by Sept. 27 as originally planned and under original conditions. One week later, the Fifth Circuit amended the ruling, pushing back the lease sale date to Nov. 8.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who sued over another restriction imposed on the industry, said the ruling was “a major win not only for the rule of law, but also for Louisiana jobs and affordable energy. At a time when working families are being squeezed by unaffordable Bidenomics, I am glad to deliver yet another victory defeating overreaching bureaucrats.

“Congress is clear: lease sales must take place; so we are grateful the Judge cut through the noise and upheld the law,” Landry added. He also said “our fight is far from over,” the initial ruling granted relief “against the President’s latest attack on reliable and affordable American energy.”

The U.S. oil and natural gas industry, led by the Gulf states of Texas and Louisiana, have set records in petroleum exports and led in exports of liquified natural gas in the first half of 2023. The industry has also provided a “lifeline” to European countries reducing reliance on Russia and suffering from failed “green energy” policies, according to data previously reported on by The Center Square.

Read the full article The Center Square

 

Biden’s marine sanctuaries come under fire at US congressional hearing

September 23, 2023 — The U.S. government’s use of marine protected areas, sanctuaries, and monuments to conserve areas of the ocean came under fire during a congressional hearing this week, with House lawmakers and a bevy of witnesses decrying the use of executive authority to establish wide bands of ocean where commercial fishing is banned instead of relying on the existing regulatory system to protect fishing stocks.

“President Biden’s weaponization of marine protected areas designation is another example of his rampant abuse of executive authority to promote his radical climate agenda and social change initiatives without due consideration of the negative consequences for the economy, environment, and thousands of working Americans,” U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fisheries council opposes Biden administration’s plans for new marine monument

September 20, 2023 — The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, at its latest meeting, again signaled its opposition to the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden’s plans to establish a new marine monument in the Pacific Remote Islands.

The administration’s proposal would form a new sanctuary around the Pacific Remote Islands using the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, creating a 770,000 square mile area that would be fully conserved. The conservation plan, the council said at its latest meeting, is likely already satisfied by the existing fishing regulations that govern the area.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource