MACO Updates
A digest of news links and informational resources compiled quarterly by MACO members.
(Updated 9/12/22)
Upcoming Dates & Events
October 4-6, 2022: October 2022 MAFMC Meeting (agenda available soon)
Feb. 6-9: Coastal GeoTools 2023, Charleston, S.C.
Agency News
NYSERDA: Request for Information (RFI) 5166: Offshore Wind Cable Corridor Constraints Assessment, 8/30/22
MAFMC: New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils and Partners Launch Habitat Data Explorer; One-Stop Tool Ready for Use, 8/26/22
NOAA Fisheries: Rule to Amend the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Regulations Open for Comment, 7/29/22
General FYI
MARCO Hudson Canyon Resources page
NOAA Coastal Communicators September newsletter: MARCO Portal a Communications Product of the Month
MARCO Portal: Proposed North Atlantic Right Whale Seasonal Speed Zones, 8/31/22
MAFMC: MAFMC, NEFMC, and SAFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Fisheries Mitigation Guidance, 8/22/22
MAFMC: MAFMC Comments on Proposed Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary Designation, 8/8/22
MARCO Portal: Summer Updates: Lightering Zones, U.S. Wind, Port Tonnage, Cape Fear Anchorage Areas, 8/3/22
MARCO Portal: Submarine Cable Areas Map Consolidates Data from NASCA and NOAA Chart Layers, 8/2/22
MARCO Portal: Map Layer Import Tool Now Compatible with Additional Data Formats, 7/13/22
MARCO Portal: See Mid-Atlantic’s Top Areas for Whale and Dolphin Watch Tours, 6/23/22
USDOT Grant Updates:
- USDOT PROTECT Program covers developing a Resilience Improvement Plan, Resilience Improvements, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure. For more information about the PROTECT Formula Program and guidance released in July, please see FHWA’s websiteand fact sheet. The five-year funding table for total estimated PROTECT state-by-state funding for Fiscal Years 2022-2026 is available here. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established both the PROTECT Formula and Discretionary Grant Programs. The guidance that was released in July focuses on the PROTECT Formula Program and can be used from everything from construction to planning, A Notice of Funding Opportunity for the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program will be released later this year. https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/biden-administration-announces-new-protect-formula-program-73-billion-bipartisan
- The USDOT issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcing the availability of over $1.4 billion in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) Grant funding. The CRISI Program, which is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), advances projects that modernize America’s freight and passenger rail infrastructure, allowing people and goods to move more safely and efficiently and helping make goods more affordable for American families. This year, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law more than triples funding for the CRISI Program – a much-needed step to meet the heavy demand for rail funding from States and local communities. The program allocates at least 25% of total funds for projects in rural areas, and is great to address grade separation issues and assisting with the modal shift from highways to rail in efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses.