Category Archives: Offshore

File: The Zev Yaroslavsky L.A. River Greenway Trail. Martin Zamora/L.A. County Board of Supervisors

A proposal to use funds drawn from offshore oil and gas leases to help build urban parks is the first bill introduced by Southern California's newly-elected U.S. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragn, who represents the 44th District.

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program Act, introduced late last month,aims to increase the number of green spaces in cities in order to improve the lives overall of the community, primarily in underserved communities, Barragn said during a press conference Monday.

The percentage of Americans living in urban areas has climbed to more than 80 percent, according to data from the United Nations. Among those urban populations, low-income and minority communities are less likely to live near green spaces, which provide health benefits to people who can access them.

The proposed legislation would legally secure funding for a National Park Service program that was originally funded by Congress in 2014.

Oil and gas companies lease portions of the ocean owned by the federal government, and under a 2006 law the government is required to set aside a portion of those funds to be used for various purposes. If the bill passes, 20 percent of that money would go toward funding projects under the Park Services program.

Barragn said she wanted to take this existing source of revenue and try to put it into some good through the program.Barragns told KPCC she has always been someone thats been trying to preserve open spaces.

States, cities, counties and tribes would be able to apply for grants under the program, which they would have to match in funds. Urban projects that engage and empower underserved communities and provide opportunities for youth employment, among other qualifications, would be given priority.

Barragn cited the San Pedro waterfront development project, the L.A. River Revitalization project and Wilmingtons JC Sports Field Complex as initiatives that might be eligible for funding. I think this is just the start of possibilities of what we can use it for, Barragn said.

The bill is still in its beginning stages it was moved to subcommittee review on June 27. However, Barragn is hopeful the bill will make it to a vote. President Donald Trump has been working to reshape federal environmental regulations since he took office, including proposing dramatic cuts to funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and rolling back several Obama-era policies, but Barragn's bill has received bipartisan support in the House.

Barragn said she was able to get Republican co-sponsors for the bill because it proposes drawing funding from an existing revenue source that wouldnt require taxpayer support. Barragn said she believes this legislation was a great way to bring people together while working to protect the environment in the coming years.

This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. Open space and parks really is something for everybody, Barragn said. We havent had any vocal critics on the bill yet.

Read more:

How offshore oil could fuel urban parks if a new bill passes - 89.3 KPCC

A recently- published research paper based off of a study conducted by Oregon State University researchers on sediment and animals on the ocean floor in the Pacific Northwest could aid future renewable energy projects off the coast.

The paper, titled: Small proportions of silt linked to distinct and predictable differences in marine macrofaunal assemblages on the continental shelf of the Pacific Northwest, found that relationships between the sediment and the animal life was consistent across several sample sites along the coast.

The information helps renewable energy companies considering developing offshore wind and wave energy facilities in the Pacific Northwest, because they need to consider the environmental implications before constructing facilities.

The research was funded by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Oregon Wave Energy Trust and led by Sarah Henkel, a marine biologist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

Henkel said the surveys she conducted on the sediment would allow companies to reduce collections of organisms on potential development sites.

If you went to a site within the region and got detailed sediment information youd have good way to predict what animals youd see at that site, even if you didnt collect the animals, Henkel said.

Rather than doing broad comprehensive animal collections, she said companies could do more physical surveys and a reduced amount of biological surveys.

The survey collection sites clustered around 8 locations, including Bandon, Siltcoos, Reedsport, Newport, Cape Perpetua and Nehalem. The other locations were Eureka, Calif. and Grays Harbor, Wash..

Henkel said the major finding of the paper was the sensitivity certain marine animals, like clams and worms, have to mud or silt.

The marine biologist said scientists generally consider anything less than 10 percent mud to be pure sand, however once they did high resolution sampling researchers found that samples with less one-percent mud had different animals living there.

But as soon as there was one percent mud they were gone, Henkel said, The surprising thing was how fine that line was.

That has implications for energy companies that could potentially displace some of the sediment on the ocean floor.

You could go from a place with some fine sediment to none due to this scouring action, then see a turnover of animals in that area, Henkel said.

The important thing to note, Henkel said, is the depth of the observations in the current study.

These observations are really only valid in the depth range that is paper covers, Henkel said.

So, the research wouldnt apply to deeper-water projects like the failed wind energy project off of Coos Bays shores.

However, the researcher is conducting similar surveys at greater depths in anticipation of future projects.

While researchers can hypothesize the implications of the findings, Henkel said its hard to know until a renewable operation is built.

Its hard to say until we actually get a project in the water and are able to monitor whats happening, Henkel said.

But thats something thats in the works. Oregon State University is in the process of getting a test facility off the ground, or into the water so to speak. The facility, called the Pacific Marine Energy Center, is mostly funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.

Henkel said the center will be modeled after the European Marine Energy Center. She said Europe is much further ahead of the United States in terms of ocean renewables.

The center would be a place where commercial developers could bring their devices and test them in the planned two-mile long by one-mile wide site which would be located six to seven miles offshore, Henkel said.

Henkel said she anticipates having devices off of Newport as soon as 2019.

Here is the original post:

Seafloor survey done for potential offshore renewable energy projects - Coos Bay World

Warning of the dire economic consequences of an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), swine veterinarians from around the country during Capitol Hill visits today and tomorrow will urge congressional lawmakers to establish an offshore vaccine bank to help quickly control and eradicate the animal disease.

The 23 veterinarians are in town as part of the Swine Veterinarian Public Policy Advocacy Program of the National Pork Producers Council, which has made creating a robust FMD vaccine bank its top priority for the 2018 Farm Bill.

FMD is an infectious and sometimes-fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals, including cattle and pigs; it is not a food safety or human health threat. Although the disease was last detected in the United States in 1929, it is endemic in many parts of the world.

According to Iowa State University economists, an FMD outbreak in the United States, which would prompt countries to close their markets to U.S. meat exports and create a surplus of meat on the domestic market, would cost the beef and pork industries a combined $128 billion over 10 years if livestock producers werent able to combat the disease through vaccination. The corn and soybean industries would lose over a decade $44 billion and $25 billion, respectively; and economy-wide job losses would top 1.5 million.

The U.S. swine industry needs the capacity to produce enough FMD vaccine to quickly stop the virus from spreading and then to eradicate this pathogen, and we need Congress to provide the funds to make that happen, said Dr. Gordon Spronk, a swine veterinarian who practices in Minnesota and surrounding states, who participated in the program. The U.S. pork industry, indeed the entire U.S. economy, would be severely affected by an FMD outbreak, which has become more likely in this country with the free flow around the globe of goods and people.

A recent paper from former USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Dr. Ron DeHaven and other prominent veterinarians confirmed the need for an FMD vaccine bank and concluded that the vaccine must be produced overseas given that current U.S. law forbids storing live FMD virus on the U.S. mainland and because of the risk of accidental release of the virus if it were stored in the United States. Read the paper at http://nppc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/FMD-Vaccine-Bank.pdf.

NPPC is asking Congress to include in the next Farm Bill hearings on which already are underway language directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to:

The cost of establishing an FMD vaccine bank, according to another Iowa State analysis, is estimated to be $150 million annually, an amount that pales in comparison to the $20 billion yearly cost of an outbreak to the beef, pork, corn and soybean sectors alone, NPPC has pointed out.

Follow this link:

Veterinarians Want Offshore FMD Vaccine Bank - KTIC

As offshore wind power becomes ever more of a reality along the East Coast, this week, New Yorkers have opportunities to learn more about how we can scale up the pollution-free technology here, at three public information events on Long Island.

Edison Sub-District Office District 4, United Steel Worker via Flickr

As offshore wind power becomes ever more of a reality along the East Coast, interested New Yorkers have the opportunity to learn more about New York States Offshore Wind Master Plan at three public information sessions on Long Island this week. The Master Plan is the states effort to realize and optimize the significant potential that offshore wind power offers to us all: pollution-free electricity, as well as the climate and public health benefits that come with it; substantial employment opportunities, and much more.

The Master Plan is being drafted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and has been in the works for several years. And as the Empire State takes important steps to help offshore wind power become a thriving industry here, much as it already is in Europe and increasingly in Asia, the benefits are plain to see. Thats why an important and diverse coalition of labor, business, environmental, and Long Island leaders and elected officials, including State Senator Phil Boyle (R-Bayshore), came together at a news conference in Melville this afternoon to support offshore wind power off the Long Island coast.

Under Governor Andrew Cuomos leadership, New York has already committed to offshore wind power, including a pledge that we will get 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. That will play a central role in enabling the state to meet its pivotally important plan to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and will help power 1.25 million homes. But the potential is even bigger in the waters off New York, where we can responsibly site as many as 39 gigawatts of offshore wind power projects15 million homes worth.

Then there are the jobslots of them. A recent report from the nonprofit Workforce Development Institute found there are 74 types of jobs in offshore wind powerranging from riggers, divers, and crane operators, to bookkeepers, paralegals, and electrical engineers. New Yorkers can fill them all, much to our benefit. In fact, a SUNY Stonybrook study found that a single, 250-megawatt offshore wind power project off Long Island could create 2,800 jobs and generate $645 million in local economic output, while a companion study found such a project could be built with essentially no impact on consumers electric rates.

Want to know more? This week on Long Island, you can be among the first to learn about what offshore wind power offers New Yorkers and how we can scale it up, at these events:

Monday, July 10 6:00-7:00 p.m. Presentation and Q&A 7:00-8:00 p.m. Open House Long Island Association 300 Broadhollow Road, Melville, NY

Tuesday, July 11 6:00-7:00 p.m. Presentation and Q&A 7:00-8:00 p.m. Open House Long Beach Public Library 111 West Park Avenue, Long Beach, NY

Wednesday, July 12 6:00-7:00 p.m. Presentation and Q&A 7:00-8:00 p.m. Open House Southampton Inn 91 Hill Street, Southampton, NY

NYSERDA will hold more public information sessions soon, including three slated for New York City in August. These events are good news for all of us: The more we know about the Offshore Wind Master Plan, the sooner we can make offshore wind power and all its benefits a reality for New Yorkers and the Empire State.

Director, Energy & Transportation program

The rest is here:

Learn How NYS Can Scale Up Offshore Wind, at 3 Public Events - Natural Resources Defense Council

Zarar Khan, Associated Press

Graft probe of Pakistan PM finds wealth 'disparity'

ISLAMABAD (AP) An official investigation into corruption allegations against Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family has found a "significant disparity" between their declared wealth and known sources of income.

Sharif, who has previously denied allegations of abusing his authority to enrich himself, has been under pressure since documents leaked in 2016 from a Panama-based law firm disclosed that his family had offshore accounts.

Sharif and members of his family have appeared before a team appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate their offshore companies. Sharif has faced corruption allegations since coming to power in parliamentary elections in 2013.

"There exists a significant disparity between the wealth declared by the respondents and the means through which the respondents had generated income from known or declared sources," the report said, according to a partial copy released to reporters.

At one point the report refers to the "irregular movement" of cash gifts and loans from companies based in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Britain to Sharif, his son and companies linked to them.

The report suggests that the courts pursue action based on a 1999 accountability law intended to help stamp out corruption. But the final decision rests with the Supreme Court, which will take up the case next Monday.

A minister from Sharif's ruling party dismissed the report, saying its findings were "unsubstantiated."

"The report contains no substance of corruption, tax fraud or any wrongdoing," said Ahsan Iqbal, the minister for planning and development.

Talal Chaudhry, a party spokesman, denounced the probe as part of a "conspiracy" aimed at removing the premier from office.

The opposition seized on the allegations, however, with cricket legend-turned-opposition leader Imran Khan calling on Sharif to "immediately step down."

The Supreme Court meanwhile put Pakistan's leading Jang newspaper group on notice for publishing a front-page story Monday suggesting it was based on content from the report, which had not been made public when the story came out.

The head of the investigation team told judges the paper's report was false, according to several lawyers who were present at Monday's court session. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Link:

Graft probe of Pakistan PM finds wealth 'disparity' - SFGate

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.

Airmen from Patrick Air Force Base helped rescue a father and son after their boat caught fire 500 miles off the coast of Florida.

Five-hundred miles offshore, a speck in the water near a passing oil tanker was a lifeboat with two men aboard. Their boat had sunk in a fire and one was badly burned. They had called the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard called the Air Force.

The 920th Rescue Wing - represented by 80 airmen and four aircraft, pulled off the search and rescue with the help of the Coast Guard. The team worked into the night Friday to rescue the two German citizens.

The tanker crew helped the victims aboard and Air Force medics treated them. Their usual mission is rescuing downed combat pilots.

Anytime you are putting someone out over the Atlantic, its concerning, said Captain Dan Morgese. We train for this, it all worked out just fine. If there was a day to do it, it was today; the weather was perfect.

The 48-year-old and 66-year-old were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center by medical helicopter.

When you actually get to do something you train for; its really satisfying, said Morgese. Excellent communication and planning among all involved, made the mission successful.

View post:

Patrick Air Force Base team rescues boaters stranded 500 miles offshore - WESH Orlando

Drilling within 125 miles of Florida's Gulf Coast has been banned for good reasons under a federal moratorium, approved by Congress in 2006, that was supposed to last at least until 2022.

Lets make the Gulf of Mexico an environmental and economic disaster again!

Nobody in the Trump administration is saying as much, but there is reason to fear that the presidents orders to the Interior Department could do just that, by vastly expanding offshore drilling and junking rules designed to prevent a repeat of the calamity associated with the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill.

Talk about not learning from the not-so-distant past.

The April 2010 blowout on the rig 41 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana dumped 4 million gallons of petroleum into the Gulf, polluting water, killing or harming marine creatures and smothering coastlines. The impacts on the environment and the economy caused billions of dollars in damage.

A bipartisan national commission whose members included Bob Graham, a former Democratic U.S. senator and governor from Florida, and William Reilly, a Republican who administered the Environmental Protection Agency during the first Bush administration conducted extensive hearings and research and concluded, among other things, that the spill could have been prevented.

The commission recommended the institution of regulations aimed at improving so-called blowout preventers, in order to reduce the chances of a catastrophic spill like the one caused by the Deepwater Horizon. Congress failed to act but the Obama administration created reasonable rules to implement this and other recommendations.

Yet, as Graham and Reilly wrote in a column for the New York Times that appears in the Herald-Tribune, an April 28 executive order issued by President Donald Trump calls for the reconsideration of the well control rule that tightened controls on blowout preventers designed to stop explosions in undersea oil and gas wells.

We recognize that Interior Department officials assert that no decisions have been made in this regard but the mere reconsideration of a key protection what Graham and Reilly called the most important action the government has taken to reduce offshore drilling hazards" is reckless.

Furthermore, in response to the April executive order, the Interior Department opened a public-comment period for a new program for leasing even more public waters including those on the outer continental shelf, in the Arctic Ocean and in the eastern Gulf (off Floridas west coast) for offshore drilling. This program would presumably replace the existing plan, which already includes room for significant expansion of drilling.

Drilling within 125 miles of Floridas Gulf Coast has been banned for good reasons under a federal moratorium, approved by Congress in 2006, that was supposed to last at least until 2022 for environmental and economic reasons, and because the area is vital for military training.

As we have written previously, opposition to additional drilling off Floridas coasts has long been steady and bipartisan. In March, 17 members of Congress representing Florida, Republicans and Democrats, sent a letter putting the secretary of the interior and, by extension, Trump on notice: Keep the eastern Gulf of Mexico off limits to drilling for gas and oil, or expect a fight.

Lets get ready to rumble.

This editorial was originally published by the Sarasota Herald Tribune, a sister newspaper to the Daily News within Gatehouse Media.

Originally posted here:

EDITORIAL: Prepare to fight over offshore drilling - The Northwest Florida Daily News

(TNS) Gov. Larry Hogan said this week hes against gas drilling off of Marylands coast, and as President Donald Trumps administration considers seismic testing to search for energy reserves, state officials are asking the federal government to more closely study its impact.

The Trump administration last month sought permission under federal wildlife protection laws to use loud air guns to collect data on potential sites for offshore oil and gas production.

Im not in favor of offshore drilling, Hogan told reporters Thursday, adding that there are many hurdles before it could come close to reality. The Republican governor had not previously taken a public stance on offshore drilling, which had been shelved under former President Barack Obama. Hogan has sometimes declined to weigh in on Trump administration policies.

Mark Belton, Hogans secretary of Natural Resources, sent a request to federal wildlife officials asking for a review of how seismic testing could harm whales, dolphins and turtles, commercial fisheries and recreational activity.

Five energy companies had asked for permission to perform the seismic tests, which involve firing intense blasts of compressed air.

Public comments on the permit applications were set to be due Thursday, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week extended the deadline to July 21.

Belton told NOAA officials the states concerns include potential impacts to the commercial and recreational fisheries, and the health and welfare of marine mammals and wildlife.

Maryland municipalities such as Ocean City and Berlin have also expressed their objections through local resolutions against seismic testing that show cause for further consultation and review, he added.

Originally posted here:

Hogan says he opposes offshore drilling as state raises concerns about seismic testing - The Star Democrat

A sea breeze brought changes to the leader board in several classes in the penultimate day of Ireland's biggest sailing regatta, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay today.

One contender for tomorrow's (Sunday) top prize of the 'Volvo Boat of the Regatta Trophy' is a Howth Yacht Club yacht that took the lead in the biggest class this afternoon. Paddy Gregory's Flashback now tops the IRC offshore division after three coastal races sailed.

A promising eight to 10 knot southeasterly wind got racing for all 475 boats in 35 classes off to a solid start this morning and it held all day to keep the ambitious programme of more than 290 races on target for tomorrow's final round two rounds in most classes.

The Gregory led 31-boat IRC offshore fleet departed Scotsman's Bay bound for North Burford, the turning mark on the 20mile course.

The north Dublin Beneteau 34.7 is six points clear overall of Chris PowerSmith's much J122 Aurelia in the 31boat fleet even though PowerSmith was the winner of this afternoon's race.

2015 VDLR Champion WOW (George Sisk) heads for the offshore class inharbour finish line

Followed on the water by Chris Power Smith's Aurelia, the IRC rating winner

After a 20mile race, the offshore fleet were tightly bunched as they headed for the finish line in front of the Royal St. George Yacht Club

A single race tomorrow morning will decide the offshore title and also the Jack Ryan Whiskey Royal Dee Irish Sea Offshore Championship that is being sailed as part of the Dun Laoghaire Championships.

Dun Laoghaire Commodores afloat: Regatta vice chairman Don O'Dowd (third from left) with (from left) Commodores Paul Sherry of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Ronan Beirne of the National Yacht Club and Michael Pomeroy of the Royal St. George Yacht Club carry out a check of all six race courses

On the centre course, Classes Zero, One and Two completed three further races over windwardleeward courses under Race Officer Peter Crowley.

Dark Angel was fast off the line this morning in Class Zero

Jay Colville's Forty Licks from East Down Yacht Club has moved into the overall lead of the fiveboat Class Zero fleet even though she shares the same eight points as onetime leader Dark Angel (Tony Ackland) from Swansea.

Royal Irish Yacht Club yachts top the leaderboard in 29boat Class One with John Maybury's J109 Joker II another contender for yacht of the regatta still leading but on a reduced margin of just three points after Richard Goodbody's J109 White Mischief had a standout performance to count a 1,2 and 3 today. Goodbody now moves up to second overall on 12 points. J109s complete the podium places with Ronan Harris's Jigarmee 21 points off the lead.

A crowded committee boat end in this morning's first race of class two eventually got clean away (below)

In the 17boat Class two, Howth Yacht Club's Dave Cullen sailing the modified Halftonner Checkmate has overtaken visiting Scottish HalfTonner Trastada (skippered by Angus Roddy). Cullen who has six results in the top five and counted two race wins today for an eight point margin over the Clyde vintage yacht that dropped to as low as eighth in this afternoon's race six. In what is looking ery much like a battle of the Half tonners overall, the 2015 Volvo Regatta Class Two Champion Jonny Swan in Harmony is third.

Scotland's Trastada lost the overall class two lead today after three windward-leeward races

There is no change at the top of IRC three where another Howth Yacht, Richard Colwell's Fusion continues to dominate with four race wins from seven starts in the eight boat fleet. Howth Yacht Club boats occupy the top four spots with X302s Dux (Anthony GoreGrimes) and Maximus (Paddy Kyne) second and third respectively.

In IRC four, Jonathan Flood's Modified Formula 28 Flash from Bray Sailing Club leads Cartoon (Ken Lawless) by a point and half after eight races sailed in the 15boat fleet.

Jonathan Flood's Modified Formula 28

Ken Lawless's Cartoon is second overall in class four

2015 Class four VDLR champion Cri Cri (Paul Colton)

In the one design classes, only half a point after eight races separates St Spence's Clyde based Carna and Andrew Bradley's Chinook from the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

27 GP14s are contesting the class Leinster Championships as part of VDLR 2017

The GP14 Leinster Championships are being lead by Fergus Barnham from Nantwich, UK with Sutton Dinghy Club's Alan Blay in second after six races sailed. Greystones Sailing Club's GP14 World Champion Shane MacCarthy lies third in the 27boat fleet.

An immaculate weather spinnaker hoist from Alan Blay

2004 470 Olympians Ross Killian and Ger Owens back together in a GP14 on Dublin Bay

A fine fleet of 20 Sigma 33s are contesting the Irish Class Championships as part of the Regatta

The 1720 Heros and Villans (Gary Rhodes) from Royal Cork Yacht Club is third in the mixed sportsboat class

Results are provisional and subject to protest.

Full results in all 35 classes are available here

The 2017 regatta concludes tomorrow with two final races for most classes.

Flying Fifteen and Mermaid (bottom) fleets are racing on the Salthill course

Originally posted here:

Howth's 'Flashback' Moves Into Offshore Contention at Dun Laoghaire Regatta - Afloat

LONDON Britain and Norway plan to lift a ban on offshore flights using two types of Super Puma helicopters, 17 months after a fatal crash in Norway.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Friday both countries intended to lift national restrictions that remained in place after European authorities declared the helicopters safe to fly last October.

Europe grounded theH225LP and AS332L2 helicopters, built by Airbus Helicopters, after 13 passengers and crew were killed when the rotors flew off their aircraft in April last year.

The decision to extend the safety clearance to Britain and Norway follows "extensive investigation, testing and changes to the helicopter and its maintenance," the CAA said in a statement.

Flights will not resume immediately, however.

"A plan of checks, modifications and inspections needs to be undertaken before any flights take place," the CAA said.

"It will also be for operators and their customers to decide whether they wish to re-introduce the helicopters to service"

Norwegian oil company Statoil said in December it would stop using H225 Super Puma helicopters for good.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Mark Potter)

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Sheila Michaels, a feminist who spread the modern usage of the title "Ms." as a way to denote a woman's independence, has died in New York at age 78, prompting an outpouring of tributes on social media.

WASHINGTON Many of the major risks U.S. banks face lay beyond their control, according to a review released by banking's top federal regulator on Friday that found the sector's financial performance remains strong.

Link:

UK, Norway to lift ban on offshore flights of 2 Super Puma helicopters - Reuters