• Major winter storm to impact U.S. Northeast and New England

    A major winter storm is expected to affect the Northeast and New England Friday into Saturday. As much as 1 to 2 feet of snow is forecast from the New York City metro area to Maine, with localized heavier amounts possible. For the most up to date forecast, watches and warnings, visit weather.gov.

  • 2012 global temperatures are 10th highest on record

    According to NOAA scientists, the globally-averaged annual combined land and ocean surface temperature in 2012 was 1.03°F (0.57°C) above the 20th-century average of 57.0°F (13.9°C). The annual report also found that all 12 years of the 21st century (2001-2012) rank among the 14 warmest in the…

  • Courtroom recap: Day 2 of the BP oil spill trial

    By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Today marked the second day of the BP oil spill trial, which kicked off with the plaintiffs’ lawyers calling their first two witnesses: Dr. Robert “Bob” Bea, an engineer, and Lamar McKay, Chairman and President of BP America. Dr. Bea…

  • Protecting the View from the Mountaintop

    By Jessica Orquina Previously, I served as a pilot in the U.S Air Force Reserves and had the opportunity to visit many places around the world. Throughout my travels, I gained an appreciation and respect for the vast variety of natural environments that exist around our planet. Last week my husband…

  • What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?

    The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves)…

  • Auction results present golden opportunity for California landowners

    By Robert Parkhurst Last Friday, results from California’s second cap-and-trade auction were released and by all accounts it was a huge success . More importantly, it sent a signal that this is a strong and viable carbon market and presents a golden opportunity for landowners. Through…

  • Thank Administrator Lubchenco for Being an Oceans Advocate

    During her time as NOAA Administrator, Jane Lubchenco took historic strides towards protecting our fisheries and ensuring ocean sustainability. We'd like to show her our great appreciation for all she's done. Will you join us?

  • Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 26, 2013

    Witnesses To Take The Stand In BP Trial By Steve Inskeep and Debbie Elliot, NPR Morning Edition. February 26, 2013. "A federal judge will hear testimony Tuesday in a civil suit over who is to blame and who should be financially liable for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…" ( Read…

  • U.S. EPA Honors GRID Alternatives for Solar Panel Job Training

    Receives Environmental Regional Award as Climate Change Champion SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld today recognized nonprofit GRID Alternatives as a Climate Change Champion. The EPA Pacific Southwest Region’s Environmental Award…

  • Coast Survey plans for new Arctic nautical charts

    NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has issued an updated Arctic Nautical Charting Plan, as a major effort to improve inadequate chart coverage for Arctic areas experiencing increasing vessel traffic due to ice diminishment.

  • Send a message to BP: flood their inbox!

    Contrary to BP’s PR campaigns, the Gulf is still reeling from the impacts of the oil spill. To make matters worse, BP is trying to dodge accountability. As we enter day 2 of the BP trial, it's important to keep the pressure on BP to ensure they are fined the maximum penalties possible. We can…

  • Ozone Season Is Coming…

    By Elena Craft, PhD How To Better Protect Yourself From Smog In 2013 Even though temps haven’t yet risen to triple digits, the official ozone season starts this week for much of Texas (March 1 for DFW, Houston, April 1 for Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi), and based on the number of…

  • Research investigates where Caribbean fish gather and spawn

    NOAA-funded research in the Caribbean is using the underwater sounds of reef fish, such as groupers, to identify areas where they gather to spawn — a behavior that makes the fish easier to catch and susceptible to overfishing.

  • A recap of day 1 of the BP oil spill trial

    By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Whit Remer, Policy Analyst for Environmental Defense Fund, is interviewed by a reporter outside the courthouse. Today, I watched opening statements from inside the courtroom of one of the most complex and high stakes trials in this…

  • Environmentalists, activists rally outside courthouse for start of BP oil spill trial

    By Elizabeth Skree, Communications Manager, Environmental Defense Fund Beginning at 6 a.m. this morning, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign members and dozens of Gulf Coast supporters rallied outside the U.S. District Courthouse in New Orleans, urging the U.S. Department of Justice to…

  • Fisheries Catch Data: A Tale of Two Approaches

    photo credit: wanderlasss via photopin ccTo paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, the test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to entertain two opposed ideas at the same time and still function.Two views on the importance of catch data for estimating the abundance of fish populations are portrayed…

  • EPA Settles with Geneva Energy on Clean Air Act Violations; Tire-burning Facility to Close

    Chicago (Feb. 25, 2013) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached agreement with Geneva Energy, LLC on the terms of a consent decree to resolve allegations that the company violated the Clean Air Act at a tire-burning electric generating plant in Ford Heights, Illinois. Geneva has…

  • Revitalizing the Mexican Corvina Fishery with Sustainable Management

    Mexican fishermen with a catch of Corvina. Photo Credit: Silvia YeeFor many years the short, six week commercial Corvina fishing season in the Upper Gulf of California was marked by a frenzied race to fish, with as many as 600 boats in the water at the same time. Beginning in late February, and…

  • It’s Not Always About You – or – Environmental Gratitude in my Work and Life

    Each Monday we write about the New England environment and way of life seen through our local perspective. Previous posts By Eric P. Nelson Having recently emerged from the holiday season that now runs from the day my Jack-O-Lantern takes up its position on the compost pile to the day my Christmas…

  • Joint Statement on Upcoming BP Oil Spill Trial and Settlement Reports

    Oil Spill Case: BP Needs to Be Held Accountable BP is facing tens of billions of dollars in penalties as Justice Department and oil giant get ready for trial Monday over civil charges from oil spill …