Federal Register - January 2015

A list of notices from the federal register for January 2015 from agencies including the Department of the Interior, EPA, FEMA, USGS and more.

Executive order creates new flood requirements for federal projects

President Obama signed an executive order on January 30 requiring that federal projects be built two feet higher than the previous standard to protect against floods that may worsen as a result of climate change.

Charlotte Wood

2015 AGI/Schlumberger Fellow in Geoscience Communication

Charlotte Wood, originally from New Zealand, came to America on a soccer scholarship to Oklahoma State University where she completed a B.S. with honors in Environmental Science. She then completed her M.S. in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her study has focussed on the intersection of science and policy, with a particular interest in water and energy issues. Charlotte has a range of experience, including having worked in a research and communication role with a wind energy NGO, completed the progress report for the Minnesota Water Sustainability Framework, and participated in the Boreas Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota. She has also researched the barriers and drivers for Green Chemistry at the state level for her Masters paper and completed an analysis of consumer response to water conservation methods under drought conditions for her honors thesis.

Process of hydraulic fracturing linked to Ohio earthquakes

A report released January 5 by the Seismological Society of America (SSA) links hydraulic fracturing to earthquakes experienced in Ohio in 2014.

Leasing for offshore wind farms sells half of allotments

On January 29, the Department of the Interior (DOI) held the largest sale of federal waters for offshore wind development with 742,000 acres open for bidding.

President and federal agencies propose new restrictions, leases in Arctic

In late January, the Obama administration and federal agencies proposed new policies governing Arctic oil and gas exploration.

Atlantic Ocean opened for outer continental shelf oil and gas leasing

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced its 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing program which includes plans to open the Atlantic Ocean for oil and gas leasing.

NASA launches Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite

On January 29, NASA launched the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) instrument, a satellite that will collect soil moisture data to enhance climate modeling and improve lives by predicting floods and droughts.

National Research Council reports on priorities in ocean research for next decade

The National Research Council (NRC) issued a report on January 23 detailing eight priorities for the next decade for ocean research and laying out the difficult financial decisions the marine science community faces.

Wildfire funding bill reintroduced by Sen. Wyden and Crapo

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced a bill to help fund wildfire suppression operations. If enacted, the bill would allow budget overruns incurred from fighting wildfires to be paid for with money earmarked to natural disasters rather than non-fire allocated accounts or fire prevention funding.

American Geosciences Institute

2015