CDP: Oceans Clips: January 4, 2023
US Lease Sale off Alaska Coast Draws One Bid. According to Offshore Engineer, “The U.S. government on Friday received just a single bid, from Hilcorp Alaska, for oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska the first federal auction in the region in more than five years. The offer of nearly 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet was among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in President Joe Biden's signature climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).” [Offshore Engineer, 1/3/23 (=)]
Massachusetts Orders Costly Offshore Wind Projects to Push Ahead. According to Bloomberg, “Massachusetts has denied requests from developers to renegotiate electricity contracts for proposed offshore wind farms after soaring inflation drove up construction costs, effectively ordering the renewable energy projects to push ahead. New England utility Avangrid Inc. asked state regulators last month to cancel the power purchase agreements it made with utilities for a project it is building off the Massachusetts coast. Mayflower Wind, a joint venture by Shell New Energies, EDP Renewables and Engie, also asked regulators in December for a delay in that project. Both developers cited rising costs as a problem, but the regulators on Friday disregarded those requests and approved the contracts.” [Bloomberg, 1/3/23 (=)]
US Offshore Wind Industry To Hit Major Milestones In 2023. According to Canary Media, “The United States has long hovered on the cusp of an offshore wind energy boom, even as the industry has soared worldwide. After many fits and starts, only seven turbines are spinning off the U.S. coast, representing 0.1 percent of the total global capacity of offshore wind farms. Now that’s all starting to change. With companies hitting major milestones this year — and with more developments on deck in 2023 — momentum is building in the fledgling U.S. offshore wind industry.” [Canary Media, 1/3/23 (=)]
California’s Endangered Salmon Population Plummets Amid New Threat. According to the Los Angeles Times, “They’ve been pushed to the brink of extinction by dams, drought, extreme heat and even the flare of wildfires, but now California’s endangered winter-run Chinook salmon appear to be facing an entirely new threat — their own ravenous hunger for anchovies. After the worst spawning season ever in 2022, scientists now suspect the species’ precipitous decline is being driven by its ocean diet.” [Los Angeles Times, 1/3/23 (=)]
D.C. Circuit Orders New EPA Species Review Of 4 Chemicals. According to Politico, “EPA must revisit its approval of several pesticide ingredients after a federal appeals court found that the agency had not taken a close enough look at the chemicals’ threat to vulnerable species like fish and honeybees. The Dec. 23 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit requires EPA to finalize Endangered Species Act evaluations of four chemicals by court-ordered deadlines in 2025 and 2027. It is the latest in a series of orders instructing the agency to revisit chemical registrations issued under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.” [Politico, 1/3/23 (=)]
New Year Brings Ban On Driftnets Used To Catch Swordfish. According to Politico, “The rules for swordfish fishing will change in 2023 under a bill signed by President Joe Biden last week. Under the new law, the United States will phase out the use of large-mesh drift gillnets for swordfish fishing in federal waters. Congress included the measure in its year-end spending bill, which Biden signed Thursday. “Whales, sea turtles and other animals will soon enjoy safer passage off our shores, and consumers will have confidence knowing that the swordfish they purchase does not come with deadly consequences,” said Susan Murray, deputy vice president for the environmental organization Oceana.” [Politico, 1/3/22 (=)]
Responses to this email are not monitored.
Please email any questions or comments to aaron@beehivedc.com