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OR&R Weekly Report

The Office of Response and Restoration publishes this weekly round-up of news and information of interest to our partners, stakeholders, and team members. Click to subscribe

Individual presents on NOAA's role in oil spill response in front of presentation attendees.

NOV. 25, 2024 — In mid-November 2024, a Scientific Support Coordinator from OR&R’s Emergency Response Division participated in a Republic of Korea - U.S. Joint Maritime Oil Spill Response Subject Matter Expert Exchange Workshop held in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK).

 An individual stands next to a diesel fuel spill in a marsh channel.

NOV. 25, 2024 — On November 5-7, Texas and federal trustees met at the Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas for the bi-annual Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Texas Trustee Summit. Trustees included members from NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Interior, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Office of Attorney General, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas General Land Office.

Scenic view of a natural conservation area in Washington.

NOV. 25, 2024 - Staff from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)’s Disaster Preparedness Program and Emergency Response Division attended the first in-person convening of the Coastal Inundation Community of Practice in Seattle, Washington from November 12-15, 2024.

Group picture of the 2024 Washington Marine Debris Action Plan workshop participants.

NOV. 25, 2024 — On October 22-23, the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration hosted an in-person workshop for participants of the Washington Marine Debris Action Plan.

Aerial view of an industrial facility with several large-scale chemical storage tanks.

NOV. 22, 2024 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly released their annual updates for CAMEO Data Manager and Tier2 Submit™, two programs that aid users in meeting regulatory filing and emergency response planning efforts under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

Student hands are seen constructing a machine out of Legos.

NOV. 25, 2024 — Over the past several weeks, OR&R scientists across the country have explained oil spill response practices and technologies to students participating in the First Lego League, a research and robotics tournament for 9-16 year-old students. At least five different OR&R scientists have met with no less than seven different school groups—and the requests keep coming in!

November 2024

NOV. 12, 2024 — The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) welcomed four interns from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES): Jalynn Aaron and Kayla Brown, both majoring in psychology, and Mikaela Blackwood and Amari Dupree, both majoring in biology. From this November 2024 through April 2025, interns will remotely support OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division with work on natural resource damage assessment and restoration.

Individuals stand in a group and smile in front of an Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry-themed backdrop.

NOV. 12, 2024 — Staff from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Assessment and Restoration Division and Emergency Response Division attended the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas from October 20–24, 2024. Attended by more than 1,500 scientists, the conference included 1,088 presentations—21 of which were co-authored by NOAA scientists—across 184 scientific sessions.

Front page of 'Major Storm Disaster Declarations' fact sheet.

NOV. 12, 2024 — Over the past year, the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire partnered with Louisiana Sea Grant to launch a series of resources to assist communities following natural disasters.

October 2024

A broken boat staged in the center of a room within an aquarium.

NOV. 4, 2024 — A new marine debris exhibit, made possible with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, debuted this summer at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.The exhibit, open to the public in the Rock Harbor Auditorium, is curated with locally-sourced marine debris from Lake Superior, provided in part from cleanups conducted by Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy.

Individual wearing headset and holding controllers. Two screens above the individual display the virtual reality view that the individual is witnessing from within the headset.

OCT. 28, 2024 — During the week of October 7, OR&R shared spill response knowledge and resources in a highly productive intellectual exchange with two spill scientists from London-based ITOPF (formerly the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited). ITOPF is a nonprofit organization established on behalf of ship owners worldwide to promote effective response to oil, chemical, and other hazardous substance spills in the marine environment.

Individual stands in front of a classroom of trainees, presenting a PowerPoint slide.

OCT. 21, 2024 — The Emergency Response Division of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), in collaboration with NOAA’s International Marine Protected Area (MPA) Capacity Building Team and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted an oil spill response training in Siargao, Philippines from October 3-11.

A drawing of a coral reef full of sea creatures and trash, with an octopus at the top holding two signs reading ‘We need clean water to thrive’ and ‘Our home is not your garbage can.’

OCT. 21, 2024 — On October 15, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the opening of this year's art contest. Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 13.

A group of trainees listen to a trainer deliver a lesson from a Seattle shoreline.

OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R completed its final response training event of fiscal year 2024, providing training to over 1,100 emergency responders and planners over the course of the year.

View of Suomenlinna Sea Fortress in the winter.

OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R Regional Operations Supervisor Doug Helton participated in a workshop in Helsinki, Finland on the remediation and assessment of potentially polluting wrecks.

A Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project survey participant uses a measuring wheel to measure a survey site on the beach.

OCT. 15, 2024 — On October 9, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the launch of the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In partnership with 1stMission LLC, this one-year survey will establish a scientifically valid assessment of marine debris found on U.S. shorelines, including the continental U.S., Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands, and Great Lakes.

A group of spill modeling scientists stand together in a group photo in a conference room setting.

OCT. 7, 2024 — In late September, OR&R and other oil spill modeling experts from around the world gathered at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan to discuss needed areas of advancements in spill model uncertainty, shoreline and coastal environments, countermeasures, and standardizations.

A group of young students pose for a group photo in a classroom setting.

OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 18, OR&R Regional Resource Coordinator and Environmental Scientist Bryand Duke, Ph.D. introduced marine life from the deep ocean near American Samoa to approximately fifty 6th-grade science students and faculty at Academy Prep Middle School in St Petersburg, Florida. American Samoa is one of the islands in the South Pacific, located about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of Hawaii.

A presenter is speaking to a classroom of people with a stack of marine debris curriculum workbooks piled on one of the desks.

OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 30, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, announced a Request for Proposals for the Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA).

Two individuals take a selfie in front of a presentation screen.

OCT. 7, 2024 — During the week of September 21, the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP)’s Chief Scientist, Amy V. Uhrin and Research Coordinator, Carlie Herring, attended and presented at the international conference MICRO 2024. Held biennially in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, MICRO aims to celebrate the growing community of researchers and policy-makers concerned about the challenge of plastic pollution from macro- to nanoplastics, with a core focus on microplastics.

September 2024

Individual presents at the front of a conference room in front of two large screens displaying PowerPoint slides on oil fate and transport.

SEPT. 30, 2024 — During the week of September 16, 50 spill responders and planners gathered at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a Science of Oil Spills (SOS) class hosted by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).

Drone pilot flies drone pilot demonstrates flying drone over oil in plastic tubs to detect oil pollution.

SEPT. 30, 2024 – This month, NOAA's Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) sponsored a workshop on Remote Sensing/Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) at the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) in Durham, New Hampshire.

Cover of the Guam Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide.

SEPT. 30, 2024 – The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the Guam Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide (Guide). This Guide aims to improve preparedness for responding to marine debris after typhoons and other disasters in the territory. A recent example is Typhoon Mawar, which impacted the island in May of 2023 and caused severe damage and impacts.

Geographical spread of settlements achieved by NOAA and its co-trustees from 2019-2023.

SEPT. 30, 2024 – NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) is responsible for evaluating, restoring, and protecting our nation’s coastal and estuarine habitats harmed by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. NOAA and co-trustees work with those responsible to secure funding for restoration to compensate the public. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) pollution settlements are used to restore robust fisheries, endangered species, coastal habitats, and outdoor recreation.

Workshop participants sit around a table in a room listening to a presenter.

SEPT. 23, 2024 – This month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration participated in a National Oil Spill Response Planning Workshop held in Koror, Republic of Palau which helped Palau responders develop a national response plan for oil and chemical spills.

Response vessels assist a wrecked fishing vessel.

SEPT. 16, 2024 — U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Northern New England recently completed a salvage operation of a historic sardine fishing vessel that sank in Maine during a January 2024 nor'easter. William Whitmore, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for Sector Northern New England provided guidance to the USCG during the response and salvage efforts.

Five individuals stand next to each other holding a ribbon that reads: Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary.

SEPT. 16, 2024 — On September 6, over 300 people gathered at the William S. Cahill Pier in Oswego, New York to witness and celebrate the designation of Southeastern Lake Ontario as the nation’s 16th national marine sanctuary.

SEPT. 16, 2024 — On September 4, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Ruth Yender, participated in the 2024 U.S.-Taiwan Coast Guard Marine Environmental Response Group Online Symposium Program. The objective of the symposium was to deepen the cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. in marine environmental response by providing an opportunity for dialogue and enhancing understanding of each other.

Two individuals stand over an educational poster display.

SEPT. 9, 2024 — The 2024 annual meeting of the Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART) took place in Key West, Florida on August 27-29. Participants included representatives from nearly all NOAA Line Offices, including National Ocean Service representatives from the Office of Coast Survey, Office for Coastal Management and Office of Response and Restoration. Discussions had during this meeting included:

A trash trap device installed in a river that has captured plastic bottles and other marine debris to prevent it from traveling to other areas.

SEPT. 9, 2024 — On September 5, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the 13 projects recommended for its NOAA Marine Debris Removal and Interception Technologies grant awards for Fiscal Year 2024, totaling over $23 million in federal funding for marine debris removal. Funding for these opportunities was provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Laurence Harbor, New Jersey waterfront with an EPA public health hazard sign and a person in a red shirt and white pants standing behind a fence that restricts access to the beach.

SEPT. 9, 2024 — On September 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed $152 million settlement in connection to the release of hazardous substances into Margaret’s Creek Marsh, Old Bridge Waterfront Park and Raritan Bay from the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site in Old Bridge and Sayreville, New Jersey.

Two individuals pose together with a award plaque.

SEPT. 9, 2024 — The team behind the CAMEO® Software Suite is the 2024 recipient of the Howard Fawcett Chemical Health and Safety Award. Awarded annually since 1983 by the American Chemical Society, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to the science, technology, education, and communication of chemical health and safety.

Event graphic describing a presentation by a scientist on the topic of "Establishing Scientific Confident of New Approach Methodologies through Case Studies."

SEPT. 9, 2024 — Two scientists from NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration’s Emergency Response Division gave presentations at the fall 2024 meeting of the American Chemical Society, which took place August 18–22 in Denver, Colorado. They were among the hundreds of chemistry professionals who gathered at the biennial event to share ideas, advance scientific and technical knowledge, and connect with the scientific society.

Posters presented on easels lined up in a row down a university hallway.

SEPT. 9, 2024 — On August 29, the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration, in coordination with the University of Rhode Island, hosted the first in-person progress update workshop for participants of the Southern New England Marine Debris Action Plan.

SEPT. 3, 2024 — In August, staff from the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), within NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, visited and supported Oregon Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) partners in public engagement events.

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