NOAA, Scripps Partner on Unmanned Systems
data collection often at a lower cost, increased safety, and reduced risk, especially in remote or extreme environments.”The agreement also helps NOAA meet the objectives of the Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act of 2018. In Fiscal Year 2020, NOAA received $12.7 million from Congress to improve and expand UxS operations across the agency, including the creation of the OMAO Unmanned Systems Operations Program—a key goal of NOAA’s recently released Unmanned Systems Strategy. This new partnership with Scripps helps meet the objectives of the Act, which requires NOAA
NOAA’s Cloud and Data Strategies to Unleash Emerging Science and Technologies
that will ultimately come from the implementation of these strategies,” said Kelvin Droegemeier, Ph.D., director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.NOAA’s science and technology strategies were produced in accordance with guidance provided by the Administration and Congress, including the Presidential Memorandum on Ocean Mapping, the Office of Science and Technology Policy FY21 Research and Development Priorities letter, the National Science and Technology Council report “Science and Technology for America’s Oceans: a Decadal Vision,” the Executive
The Emerging U.S. Offshore Wind Industry in a Post-COVID-19 World
include facilities that begin construction within 2020. The credits can be claimed where a project is placed into service within four years of starting construction – a timetable that may be increasingly challenging due to COVID-19-related delays. Recently, the Treasury Department has signaled to Congress that they will be looking at possible modifications to this rule.So what does all this mean for the maritime sector? Offshore wind has been tantalizing the industry for years now, and it’s no wonder why. The American Wind Energy Association predicts that the offshore wind projects could create
TerraSond Wins NOAA Contract
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Ocean Service, Office of Coast Survey, to provide hydrographic surveying services in the USA.The contract was effective January 1, 2020, with a maximum value of $250 million over five years, subject to appropriation by Congress. Thomas Newman, President, TerraSond, said, “Through our NOAA contracts, we have been performing comprehensive site characterization for safety of navigation purposes for over 20 years. As part of the Acteon Group, we are now offering this experience alongside Benthic’s geotechnical
Safeguarding the Titanic Resting Place
and the UK finalized an agreement first signed in 2003 that aims to help protect to the integrity of the RMS Titanic wreck site and its remaining artifacts.Recognizing the importance of the wreck and the need to ensure the vessel would not be subject to looting and unregulated salvage operations, the US Congress adopted the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act. That legislation also provided for NOAA and the U.S. Department of State to negotiate an international agreement with interested nations to protect the site. As a result of that legislation, the US, the UK, France, and Canada negotiated an agreement
Offshore Wind: Decisions Needed Sooner, not Later
titled “CALIFORNIA OFFSHORE WIND: Workforce Impacts and Grid Integration.”Collier’s study presents some sobering conclusions from the UK, the world leader in offshore wind.•Most of the offshore wind workforce is white collar rather than blue collar.•The Scottish Trades Union Congress found that predictions of fast job growth in offshore wind were exaggerated.•Governments failed to adopt policies to create a local supply chain of turbine manufacturing.•The Union report described a “failure to build a domestic industrial base and an over-reliance on imported goods
#Oi2020 History
The era of the “new millennium” made its way within subsea research and development when in 2000, Congress tapped the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to “investigate and provide recommendations for a ‘coordinated and comprehensive ocean policy’,” according to Advances in Marine Technology (as published by the Marine Technology Society). Following the seven-year investigation and research process, as well as input and public discussion, the commission presented An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century, (which according to MTS) included more than 200 recommendations.
NUWC TECH Capabilities on Display at ANTX 2019
For nearly 250 years, Rhode Island has driven naval innovation in the United States. On Aug. 26, 1775, Rhode Island helped engineer the foundation for the U.S. Navy when the then-colony passed a resolution stating that there would be a single continental fleet fronted by the Continental Congress.Ninety-five years later, the Naval Torpedo Station was born in Newport to provide research and technology to the Navy. Fast forward to the present day and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Advanced Naval Technical Exercise (ANTX) 2019, held Aug. 29, demonstrates that Rhode
NOIA Weighs in on The COASTAL Act
ensure that these states receive continued benefits from their participation in offshore energy production, while still protecting an irreplaceable revenue stream for the U.S. Treasury, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Historic Preservation, and other important Federal funding priorities. Congress must connect the dots between responsible offshore energy development and the critical funding it can provide the American public. This bill is a step in that direction.“NOIA also urges Congress to examine the potential for distributing offshore energy revenues with Atlantic states in order
