News from Across the American Shoreline

In 2019, a woman filed a lawsuit against the city of Newport after she fell on a trail. Some coastal towns are now closing trails to avoid similar lawsuits.

Happy Holidays to our longtime ASPN listeners and CNT readers. We've got big news.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - In his final meeting with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Governor John Bel Edwards presented a draft spending plan aimed at combating land loss in Louisiana.

The world is grappling with numerous environmental challenges. One innovative approach that is making waves in conservation and climate action efforts is the concept of Blue Bonds.

A state grant will be utilized to stabilize 300 feet of a coastal waterline at the Hwy 17/70 bridge on-off ramp, using natural materials.

This past summer in the Arctic was the warmest since 1900, contributing to disasters across the wider region, including flooding in Juneau, Alaska and a record wildfire season in Canada.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and the Pentagon, thirty-one Members of Congress urged the Department of Defense to “explore every avenue to strengthen our rare earth and critical mineral supply chains”, emphasizing “the importance of evaluating and planning for seabed mining as a new vector of competition...”.

Norway could become the first country in the world to mine the deep sea, but many scientists and environmentalists fear that this might blow open the door for a new frontier of extraction, with companies and governments from the Arctic to the Pacific in a race to reap the riches of the ocean…

The upcoming Central Atlantic offshore wind auction will not include the wind energy area offshore Maryland that was finalized in July – only the WEAs offshore Virginia and Delaware, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced in a proposed sale notice released Monday.

Swansea University research into how artificial intelligence could be used to help tackle coastal flooding has just secured a major funding boost.

Tillamook County has closed two beach access points in Oceanside and Rockaway Beach’s City Council will consider temporarily closing all beach accesses in their city at their January council meeting.

The state has allocated $50 million to support tidal marsh restoration and the replacement of a flood-prone bridge as part of the planned Highway 37 overhaul east of Sears Point.

Thurston’s Board of County Commissioners adopted the Shoreline Master Program update at a meeting earlier, December 12, 2023.

Things are looking up in the buffeted Florida market, but reinsurance rates will continue to rise for the next two years, and a 2024 hurricane season could be busy.

Congress keeps hitting dead ends in attempts to extend a long-term plan for the federal program that provides flooding coverage for homeowners in the country. Unless the National Flood Insurance Program’s renewal happens by its new deadline of Feb. 2, it could lapse.

WASHINGTON: The US environment regulator does not sufficiently verify that carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects keep emissions trapped underground and should boost its requirements to ensure companies receiving CCS tax credits provide an actual environmental benefit, a watchdog group said on Thursday (Dec 14).

EL BOSQUE, Mexico (AP) — People moved to El Bosque on the Gulf of Mexico in the 1980s to fish and build a community. Then climate change set the sea against the town.

North Carolina Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller is stepping down as North Carolina Division of Coastal Management Director Dr. Braxton Davis prepares to take the role Feb. 1.

Revisions Aim to Enhance Wetland Protections, Improve Permitting Process

The state has been awarded $5.1 million to research alternatives to the traditional trap-and-buoy lobster gear that requires vertical lines that can entangle whales.

AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills and Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher announced December 11, 2023, that Maine has received $17,252,551 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help improve data on endangered North Atlantic right whales (NARW).

New chapters in 2023 Arctic Report Card show the promise of Indigenous knowledge to strengthen resilience

(The Center Square) — The governors of Georgia and Alabama have agreed with the United States Army Corps of Engineers that could end a years-long legal fight over water.

WESTERLY – Shoreline access advocates who contributed to a GoFundMe page have been alerted that they are considered potential witnesses in an ongoing legal fight and may be deposed by attorneys for the Weekpaug Fire District, prompting a strong rebuke from the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Reviving wetlands threatened by rising sea levels poses a formidable challenge, yet scientists have made significant strides toward pinpointing potential solutions.

Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific atoll nation an arm’s length above high tide, will seek more than U.S. $1 billion for a land reclamation plan that’s crucial to surviving projected sea-level rise, Finance Minister Seve Paeniu said.

Potentially harmful chemical byproducts are left behind, research finds

Major works to create and retain swathes of new saltmarsh habitat on a remote Essex island have reached a major milestone, providing a lifeline for the land and its wildlife in a changing climate and in light of rising sea levels.

Distraught homeowners in Hemsby write farewell messages on houses affected by coastal erosion

With winter storms and high tides approaching, the Quinault Indian Nation continues efforts to relocate its seaside villages.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently helped complete four living shoreline projects in Anne Arundel County that are designed to protect communities from erosion and flooding.

In the days after Hurricane Idalia made landfall, a brief camera sweep of the Cedar Key landscape gave a glimpse of hope for two viewers of The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, watching from their inland evacuation spots.

BALD HEAD ISLAND — Bald Head Island is planning its next beach nourishment project, which requires a vote from the public and could include an impact on property tax rates.

Cutting payments to brokers, or selling policies directly to consumers, could save millions. FEMA and insurance companies say it’s not quite that straightforward.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Federal officials on Tuesday recommended increasing the distance from undersea pipelines that vessels are allowed to anchor in Southern California, citing a 2021 oil spill they said was caused by ships whose anchors were dragged across a pipeline after a storm.

Perilously situated between rising sea levels and pressures from upstream lie coastal river deltas and their roughly half a billion inhabitants. These regions have played an important role in societal development since the last ice age, offering flat, fertile lands with abundant freshwater which are ideal for agriculture.

Scalloped hammerhead sharks used to seek refuge at two Mexican seamounts, but it appears fishing has killed them off.

APTOS — A group of beachfront homeowners in Aptos are facing millions in potential fines levied by the California Coastal Commission following allegations that they have obstructed the public’s access to a walkway next to Seacliff State Beach for decades.

In the coastal waters of the Okinawa Islands, researchers have discovered two species of cephalopods, named in honor of traditional Japanese folklore.

When Professor Jay Stachowicz heard that UC Davis’ chancellor needed to speak to him urgently, he worried he had done something wrong.

Recent research highlights a significant link between Earth’s geological activities, like plate tectonics and river movements, and the evolution of biodiversity, offering a comprehensive view of how life has been influenced over 500 million years by Earth’s physical evolution.

A recent study led by glaciologist Benjamin Wallis has revealed the alarming instability of the Antarctic’s Cadman Glacier, which rapidly lost significant ice due to ocean warming.

Four marine scientists are demonstrating their passion for ocean conservation by rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

The decision to reduce local wetland buffers to Florida state minimum standards by the Manatee County Commission has been challenged by former commissioner Joe McClash.

Effort to improve understanding of the potential of restoring blue carbon as a carbon dioxide removal strategy

Colorado lacks strong state-level wetlands protections

It’s now almost inevitable that 2023 will be the warmest year ever recorded by humans, probably the warmest for at least 125,000 years.

Record breaking marine heat waves will cause devastating mass coral bleaching worldwide in the next few years, according to a University of Queensland coral reef scientist.

Coastal erosion could wash away trees protecting Waitaki Boys’ High School grounds within a decade and will likely eventually require the school to relocate further inland, a Ministry of Education-commissioned report reveals.

In a joint statement released at COP 28, the CEOs of the largest international shipping companies urged the International Marine Organization (IMO) to quicken the decarbonisation of the marine transportation industry.

For centuries, the power of the wind over the open ocean has inspired adventurers, poets, songwriters and dreamers. Today, it’s also inspiring a highly promising industry — offshore wind energy — that could help U.S. coastal states harness new tax revenues to invest in coastal infrastructure and resilience while advancing the country’s transition to a clean energy economy.

Record-warm seas fuel active Atlantic hurricane season and a lake-effect snowfall buries portions of the Northeast in more than three feet of snow

NOAA is working to remove the whale from the beach as soon as possible. The plan is to tow it off-shore, with the help of high-tide and heavy equipment, and let it sink.

NOAA Fisheries has proposed a rule to designate critical habitat for five threatened reef-building coral species in the Pacific Islands region.

The National Marine Fisheries Service must pay attorney fees for Gulf of Mexico charter captains who successfully challenged the agency’s requirement for them to pay for vessel monitoring systems.

The Preservation Society of Newport County has filed two law­suits in U.S. District Court challeng­ing the thoroughness and lawful­ness of the federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) permitting review process, which has approved two offshore wind farms in Rhode Island waters.

On Sept. 8, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) changed the regulatory definition of the term “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). This is the fifth time that this definition – which determines the scope of the Clean Water Act – has been amended within 8 years.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — He’s the man at the center of a probe into Citizens, Florida’s insurer of last resort.U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse says Floridians may have to shell out thousands to bail out the state-backed company.

A new sodium-ion “battery” promises an environmentally friendly method of sequestering carbon in the ocean, but experts remain cautious.

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Coast Guard said Dec. 6 that it found a light sheen west of an area in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) where it was leading the cleanup of a million-gallon (liters) oil spill for nearly three weeks, but it could not confirm if the sheen was from that spill.

Minnesota, despite being a landlocked state, manages its coastal areas with a comprehensive approach that prioritizes conservation, sustainable development, and public access.

3D-printed clay sculptures that provide shelter to corals are part of an innovative, artistic project aimed at conserving sensitive marine ecosystems. As world leaders gather for the COP28 summit in Dubai, FRANCE 24 takes a look at an unusual conservation project run by a Swiss NGO.

With the adoption of Sarasota County’s new flood maps, the town of Longboat Key is considering new ordinances to improve its flood management and earn discounts for homeowners on flood insurance.

Storm's path meant the particles it carried to land originated in the ocean

If you ask Climate Central — which has a coastal risk screening tool that shows an area’s risk for rising sea levels and flooding over the coming decades — Texas’s coastline is in trouble.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Sen. Bill Cassidy says millions of dollars from the federal infrastructure law recently flowed to the state and some of it will help the fight against coastal erosion.

THIBODAUX, La. – Laci Melancon has been named the executive director of the Coastal Center at Nicholls State University.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced $144 million in grants for natural infrastructure projects in coastal regions of the United States.

Among 16 policies urged by Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District is working on a study that will address coastal storm damages and risks in the Village of Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County, Florida.

The first U.S. utility-scale wind farm began operating, sending electricity to the New York grid, in a rare boost for the global offshore wind industry in recent months.

Copenhagen/Vevey - Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company, is cutting its ocean logistics greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using Maersk’s ECO Delivery solution for 100% of its ocean containers shipped by Maersk in 2023, with an option to extend this agreement into 2024 and beyond.

Billboards designed to further undermine the fragile reputation of Canada's salmon farming sector have been removed from around Ottawa after the industry successfully challenged them for false advertising.

An unforgiving southeast wind cut across Cape May, New Jersey, on a recent Tuesday morning; the 50-mile-per-hour gusts were so strong they created white caps on a section of the bay here that is typically calm. There would be no fishing for Bill Bright and his crew.

Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) – Alaska Native and fisheries conservation organizations have filed an amicus curiae “friend of the court” brief supporting the lawsuit brought by the Association of Village Council Presidents, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and city of Bethel against federal fisheries managers.

The Norwegian government has agreed with two opposition parties to proceed with plans of exploration of deep seabed mining in Norwegian waters. The agreement was announced at a press conference today. With this, Norway is set to be one of the first countries in the world to commercially mine the seabed for minerals.

Deep-sea mining carries substantial environmental risks and its immediate profitability remains questionable due to several technical difficulties.

Climate justice activists want countries of the Global North to make up for centuries of uneven industrialization, deforestation, extraction, and consumption.

Portions of the "Disaster Relief" bill are legislative gifts to developers as provisions of these bills prevent local governments from imposing building moratoriums or amending comprehensive plans or land development regulations associated with damage caused by Hurricanes Ian and Idelia. The Disaster Relief Bill will likely result in reduced building standards for hurricane recovery efforts and set a bad legal precedent for the next legislative session.

Park staff discovered the nest of a green sea turtle this weekend at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the latest sea turtle nest ever recorded in North Carolina.

DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods on Saturday rejected the International Energy Agency’s recent claim that using wide-scale carbon capture to fight climate change was an implausible “illusion,” saying the same could be said about electric vehicles and solar energy.

State regulators Tuesday approved a plan by Duke Energy Florida that includes collecting $91.9 million from customers in 2024 to cover costs related to Hurricane Idalia.

The Indian River Lagoon was considered one of the last “unpolluted coastal lagoons” in Florida in the 1970s. Fast forward to today and most of the 156-mile lagoon is now considered impaired because of external sources of nutrients including human waste, fertilizers, stormwater runoff, agriculture, rainfall and sub-marine groundwater discharge.

Controversial plans for a new championship golf course in Scotland have come under scrutiny.

UPPER TOWNSHIP — Pumping has begun to add sand to beaches in the south end of Ocean City, part of a $33.7 million federal contract, but about a mile and a half south, things are looking desperate in the north end of the Strathmere section of Upper Township.

Island stakeholders voiced support for proposed legislation designating Captiva as a conservation area, while also expressing continued opposition to county-proposed changes that eliminate the island’s current building height and density limitations.

The beach-building work takes place during late fall and winter to limit impacts to tourists, marine life, and nesting shorebirds and sea turtles.

Work is expected to begin in January on a $10 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that will bring much-needed sand to the beaches at both the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

Employing innovative technology to protect vital ecosystems

As contested boardwalk goes up next to state critical wildlife area, neighbors send letters to keep conservation organization out

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, last week announced the Federal Transit Administration is awarding $131 million more in bipartisan infrastructure investments to support the Alaska Marine Highway System’s operations and recapitalize portions of the fleet.

Nine years ago, I stood on the muddy banks of the Great Marsh, a salt marsh an hour north of Boston, and pulled a thumb-sized crab with an absurdly large claw out of a burrow. I was looking at a fiddler crab – a species that wasn’t supposed to be north of Cape Cod, let alone north of Boston.

Imperial County, a sprawling desert region three hours southeast of Los Angeles that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, may not be what you would typically associate with Southern California.

Norway’s minority government and two opposition parties have agreed to allow seabed mineral exploration in the Arctic region, they said on Tuesday, in a key step towards full-scale ocean mining.

Across the U.S., more frequent and destructive climate events are impacting our day-to-day lives and communities. The physical, economic, and human costs of these events are increasing and becoming more obvious over time.

Find out more about our Reverse Course series here. With the flip of a switch at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s seaside facility in Sequim, Washington, a tangle of pipes and filters whirrs into action, scrubbing acid from the cool gray waters of the Salish Sea. It’s the pilot project of Ebb Carbon, one of several companies building a business on ocean carbon removal technology. As money pours into companies promising to take greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere, there’s a small but fast-growing sector of startups that want to leverage one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks to clean up humanity's pollution: the ocean. "The ocean basically provides this huge surface for gas exchange for free," says Ebb co-founder Matthew Eisaman. “We were trying to think of the lowest-cost way to do this, and you sort of naturally comeFind out more about our Reverse Course series here. With the flip of a switch at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s seaside facility in Sequim, Washington, a tangle of pipes and filters whirrs into action, scrubbing acid from the cool gray waters of the Salish Sea. It’s the pilot project of Ebb Carbon, one of several companies building a business on ocean carbon removal technology. As money pours into companies promising to take greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere, there’s a small but fast-growing sector of startups that want to leverage one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks to clean up humanity's pollution: the ocean. "The ocean basically provides this huge surface for gas exchange for free," says Ebb co-founder Matthew Eisaman. “We were trying to think of the lowest-cost way to do this, and you sort of naturally comeFind out more about our Reverse Course series here. With the flip of a switch at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s seaside facility in Sequim, Washington, a tangle of pipes and filters whirrs into action, scrubbing acid from the cool gray waters of the Salish Sea. It’s the pilot project of Ebb Carbon, one of several companies building a business on ocean carbon removal technology. As money pours into companies promising to take greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere, there’s a small but fast-growing sector of startups that want to leverage one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks to clean up humanity's pollution: the ocean. "The ocean basically provides this huge surface for gas exchange for free," says Ebb co-founder Matthew Eisaman. “We were trying to think of the lowest-cost way to do this, and you sort of naturally come to rely on Earth systems that are already happening anyway.” to rely on Earth systems that are already happening anyway.” to rely on Earth systems that are already happening anyway.”

After seeing a large decrease earlier in the month, the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. added more than 5,000 policies during the final week of November.

Councillors told several areas of land along the region’s coastline are being eaten away by storms and rising sea levels

505 manatee deaths recorded between Jan. 1 and Nov. 24 this year