JULY 1, 2024 — On June 20, 2024, a federal court in Texas approved a settlement for $6.645M with Intercontinental Terminals Company, LLC (ITC) for impacts to ecological services and recreational activities, as well as the cost of assessing those injuries.
OR&R Weekly Report
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JULY 1, 2024 — For the first time since 1993, NOAA released new Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps for Lake Ontario. Joining Lake Erie and the critical navigation corridors between the various Great Lakes, this update will bring Lake Ontario’s ESI data into the digital age for the first time.
JULY 1, 2024 — NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) recently conducted a Science of Oil Spills (SOS) class in Seattle, Washington for emergency responders in the Pacific Northwest region. Science of Oil Spills classes provide spill responders with information and resources to further their understanding of oil spill science so that they can best analyze and make risk-based decisions during responses.
June 2024
Holding Polluters Accountable: Learn About NOAA’s Pollution Assessment and Restoration in Your State
JUNE 24, 2024 — The NOAA Pollution Assessment and Restoration in Your State ArcGIS StoryMap, an easy-to-use tool that breaks down the progress of pollution settlements in each state and territory, has been recently updated.
JUNE 24, 2024 — On June 11, the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Northeast Regional Coordinator, Demi Fox, attended a Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment meeting in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts to support a presentation on the final metrics of a Marine Debris Program-funded prevention and removal effort that recently concluded work in Canada and the United States.
JUNE 17, 2024 — On May 30, OR&R’s Disaster Preparedness Program held their annual National Ocean Service (NOS) Incident Management Team (IMT) 101 training. The training provided newer and long-term IMT members with an overview of their roles and responsibilities, as well as information on response management systems, tools, and best practices in managing all-hazard disasters. As a result of the training, IMT members gained a better understanding of NOS’s priorities during a response.
JUNE 17, 2024 — This month, the NOAA Marine Debris Program's Chief Scientist, Amy V.
JUNE 17, 2024 — On June 10, the BoatUS Foundation, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, announced a call for applications under the Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Removal Grant Program. With funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the BoatUS Foundation will award up to $7.5 million in grants to remove abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) across coastal and marine areas of the United States.
JUNE 17, 2024 — The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) held its 67th annual Conference on Great Lakes Research from May 20-24, 2024, in Windsor, Ontario. More than 700 freshwater researchers and practitioners from across the Laurentian Great Lakes region and African Great Lakes met. More than 600 presentations took place throughout the week’s nearly 50 sessions, all while exploring the theme of “Shared Lakes: One Water, One Health.”
JUNE 17, 2024 — During the first week of June, members from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and OR&R joined forces to test remote sensing capabilities for detecting oil slicks on water using uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as “drones.”
JUNE 17, 2024 — The latest version of the CAMEO Chemicals 3.1.0 hazardous materials database is now available. The latest release includes key emergency response data updates from the 2024 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) that are the result of a four-year, multinational collaboration.
JUNE 10, 2024 — On May 23, the NOAA Marine Debris Program held a virtual meeting with participants from the United States, Mexico, and Canada funded through NOAA by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act. This meeting was facilitated by the NOAA Marine Debris Program and gathered over 50 attendees and 15 project partners from various sectors, aiming to address marine debris issues across North America.
JUNE 10, 2024 —The Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team’s (SECART) annual Hurricane Awareness Webinar Series is almost over. Hosted annually, the series aims to reach NOAA staff, partners and the public with hurricane-related presentations that can help them prepare for, respond to and recover from these powerful storms.
JUNE 10, 2024 —On May 29, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i groups conducting work on marine debris prevention, removal, and research gathered to discuss consistent messaging and how to relay scientific information to the public. The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Pacific Islands Communications and Outreach Coordinator and Regional Coordinator hosted the Hawai‘i Marine Debris Action Plan (HIMDAP) Research to Education Workshop. The HIMDAP is composed of stakeholders from a range of organizations, such as NGOs, academia, state and federal government and more.
JUNE 10, 2024 — Last month, roughly 80 attendees gathered over three days for the Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART) Annual Disaster Workshop. The workshop, held virtually and in-person at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, kicked off with presentations focused on NOAA Line Offices’ capabilities before, during, and after disasters.
May 2024
JUNE 3, 2024 — On May 13, 2024, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington finalized a settlement with Crowley Marine Services, Inc. (Crowley), 8th Avenue Terminals, Inc. and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The settlement is on behalf of the Elliott Bay Trustee Council, which includes NOAA, the U.S.
MAY 28, 2024 — This month, the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) participated in the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) 6th Annual Members Meeting in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. The event brought together diverse sectors from multiple countries to learn about the latest efforts to combat lost and abandoned derelict fishing gear, strengthen opportunities for global collaboration, and connect with a diversity of sectors and voices.
MAY 28, 2024 — This month, staff from the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) attended NOAA’s Hurricane Awareness Tour in Portland, Maine to meet with school-aged students and members of the public about hurricane preparedness and response. OR&R Chief Scott Lundgren joined team members from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Disaster Preparedness Program, and Emergency Response Division, all within OR&R, for the event.
MAY 28, 2024 — OR&R staff participated in the 38th annual Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference (GHC) in West Palm Beach, which took place May 12-17. The theme for this year’s GHC, “From Forecast to Action,” was reflected in the 34 training sessions, 56 workshops, and general sessions all held to better prepare the State of Florida for the impacts of hurricanes.
MAY 28, 2024 — A group of NOAA scientists recently provided strong support at the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC), held May 13-16 in New Orleans.
MAY 28, 2024 — The Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD) of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) met in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to discuss recent updates and advances in Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDA). The division is responsible for evaluating and restoring coastal and estuarine habitats damaged by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings.
MAY 20, 2024 — The NOAA Marine Debris Program Chief Scientist, Amy V. Uhrin, attended the first meeting of the Social Cost of Plastic Pollution Working Group of the National Center for Environmental Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).
MAY 13, 2024 — In 2024, the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) celebrates its 20th year in partnership with OR&R and the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
MAY 6, 2024 — On October 25, 2023, a local power and water utility experienced a release of diesel fuel from a tank at a plant in Havensight, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The spill of No. 2 diesel was discharged outside the tank’s secondary containment. Original spill estimates of 33,600 gallons of diesel have since been updated and calculated to be over 50,000 gallons.
MAY 6, 2024 — From April 22-29, 2024, over 2,500 participants—representing 170 governments as well as stakeholders from nongovernment organizations, academia, the private sector, the United Nations, and other international organizations—met in Ottawa, Canada, for the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to continue negotiations towards a new international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
MAY 6, 2024 — On April 23 - 24, the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), led by Director Scott Lundgren, hosted a two-day tour of major restoration and debris removal projects in Washington State for Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management Paul Scholz. A congressional staffer for Senator Patty Murray’s (D-WA) also joined for key events.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program's Chief Scientist, Amy V. Uhrin gave the keynote address at Sea Grant’s Microplastics in the Coastal Region workshop held April 8-10, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina.
MAY 6, 2024 — Ahead of the approaching hurricane season, the Office of Response and Restoration’s (OR&R) Disaster Preparedness Program, in conjunction with the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) at the University of New Hampshire, held its 5th annual Hurricane Preparedness Summit.
MAY 6, 2024 — On April 30, several members from the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration joined OR&R’s Scientific Support and Regional Preparedness Coordinator William Whitmore to host a Marine Debris 101 workshop for partners and stakeholders in the New England region. Roughly three dozen participants attended the 90-minute virtual workshop.
MAY 6, 2024 — On April 8, 2024, the New Jersey District Court accepted the entry of a settlement reached by NOAA and our co-trustees with Wyeth Holdings, LLC. This settlement compensates for natural resource injuries resulting from hazardous substance releases at/near the American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
MAY 6, 2024 — From April 23-25, OR&R staff participated in the annual meeting of the National Response Team (NRT) held in St. Louis, Missouri. The NRT provides technical assistance, resources and coordination on preparedness, planning, response and recovery activities for emergencies involving hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants, oil, and weapons of mass destruction in natural and technological disasters and other environmental incidents of national significance.
April 2024
APRIL 29, 2024 — On April 23, Nancy Wallace, director of the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration, spoke about the dangers of plastic pollution to an audience of Pfizer employees as a part of its company-wide Earth Week seminar series.
APRIL 29, 2024 — During an early April Nor’easter, team members from OR&R’s Emergency Response Division hosted two dozen students at a Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) training in Gloucester, Massachusetts.