Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) introduced the Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2013 (H.R. 1878) to the House on May 9, 2013. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the Safe Building Code Incentive Act (S. 905, S. 924) to the Senate on May 8 and 9, 2013, respectively.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies, academic and other institutions are teaming up to improve tsunami resilience in California. Instead of attempting to predict when tsunami-producing earthquake will occur, these scientists are instead identifying the impacts of a tsunami on local infrastructure and the economy.

On September 4, 2013, the Department of the Interior held its second competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters. The sale consisted of 112,799 acres of Virginia’s Outer Continental Shelf, and brought in more than $1.6 billion in revenue. The first lease sale took place in July, and auctioned 164,750 acres of land off the coast of Rhode Island. That sale was won by Deepwater Wind New England, LLC, which had the high bid of $3.8 million.

The U.S. Geological Survey released the results of a study designed to identify factors that affect the vulnerability of public water supply wells to contamination. More than one-third of the U.S. population gets its drinking water from these wells, and the study was done in response to evidence indicating low concentrations of contaminants in groundwater in many parts of the nation.

On June 14, 2013, the full House passed H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014 in a 315-108 vote. The bill authorizes appropriations totaling $632 billion for the Department of Defense and certain Department of Energy activities. Although the initial Armed Services Committee Chairman’s mark of the bill included language pertaining to the procurement of rare earth elements, the final approved language contains no mention of the critical minerals.
 

Penny Pritzker, President Obama’s pick for Secretary of Commerce, was questioned by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee on May 23, 2013. Though the hearing was relatively cordial, Pritzker, a businesswoman with close ties to the Hyatt Hotel chain, faced scrutiny regarding the tense management-labor relations allegedly reported at Hyatt Hotels. The Committee plans to hold a vote next month on Pritzker’s confirmation. A majority in the full Senate is required to confirm the nomination. 

On June 4-6, 2013, marine professionals, government officials, and ocean enthusiasts from across the country converged on Washington, D.C., for a three-day conversation about ocean and coastal policy.

The majority of federal agencies have released contingency plans detailing how they will execute an orderly ceasing of programs. The agencies’ plans are based on which programs and employees are considered essential (excepted) or non-essential (non-excepted) during the funding hiatus.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a dataset from the Deepwater Horizon Spill that includes more than two million chemical analyses of sediment, tissue, water and oil, as well as toxicity results. NOAA stated the dataset “wraps up a three year process that began with the gathering of water samples and measurements by ships in the Gulf of Mexico during and after the oil release in 2010.” The dataset is the result of collaboration between federal agencies, state environmental management agencies, BP, and its contractors.

The National Academies of Sciences released a report on the “Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan.” Developed as a guide for federal research, the strategic plan assesses the impacts of ocean acidification and help policymakers develop strategies for adaptation and mitigation. The report discusses the potential consequences of increasing ocean acidity, and reviews the Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification prepared by the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification, which was created as part of Fed