editor – Page 9 – Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

Environmental News Highlights – January 24, 2024

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail -Advisory Council/Forest Service (Notice of meeting)

Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Advisory Committee Meeting -National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Notice of open public meeting)

Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast -Coast Guard (Notice of proposed rulemaking)

Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC); Notice of Public Meeting -EPA (Notice of meeting)

Idaho Seeks to Cut Infrastructure-Related Plastic Usage

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is engaged in a broad effort to develop environmentally-friendly solutions that reduce plastic waste from entering the natural environment; particularly where infrastructure projects are concerned.

[Above photo by the ITD]

For instance, the agency is now using biodegradable erosion control loose weave “blankets” without joints that allow snakes and other wildlife to easily move over or through them. Those “blankets” play a key role in the agency’s Erosion and Sediment Control or ESC practices that prevent soil loss and reduce sediment-laden stormwater runoff in and around transportation infrastructure.

Cathy Ford, the ITD’s roadside program administrator, noted that those ESC practices – used in transportation construction, maintenance, and operations activities – can be temporary or permanent.

She noted that biodegradable material will decompose under ambient soil conditions into carbon dioxide, water, and other naturally occurring materials within a time period relevant to the expected service life to the material.

“As more DOTs require the use of natural, biodegradable products, the upfront costs of purchasing the product are expected to decrease based on efficiency of scale,” Ford added in a statement.

The ITD said that plastics are commonly used as ESC solutions due to their availability, durability, and low cost, but they are rarely recycled, ending up in landfills or breaking down into micro-plastics, which are an emerging pollutant of concern.

Pieces of plastic netting can contaminate waterways and interfere with aquatic resources, the department noted, with plastic erosion control materials potentially ensnaring and killing fish and wildlife, interfering with highway mowing equipment, creating garbage, and resulting in added costs for removal and disposal.

The agency noted that older “photodegradable” plastics can still be intact a decade after construction projects are completed if vegetation prevents sunlight from breaking down the plastic. When these photodegradable plastics do break down, they continue to be a hazard to natural ecosystems as a micro-plastic, ITD explained. By contrast, biodegradable products typically degrade within one to two years into naturally occurring substances.

NCDOT Issues Online Map of EV Charging Locations

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently published an online map marking the locations for the first batch of electric vehicle or EV charging stations funded through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

The agency said its online map identifies the 11 locations along the alternative fuel corridor that will comprise Phase 1 of the project. NCDOT identified the 11 locations because they will fill the gaps where fewer EV charging stations currently exist and serve a more geographically diverse group of people in both rural and urban areas.

Each location on the GIS map represents a cluster of one or more exits along the alternative fuel corridor, NCDOT said – and applicants must locate proposed charging stations within the designated clusters, with one charging station per cluster.

The agency noted that it received $109 million in NEVI funds to develop the network along interstates, major highways and in communities. The funds are to be used to reimburse businesses for project costs, including procurement, installation and operation of EV charging stations.

NCDOT said Phase 1 of its EV charging network buildout will involve installation of DC Fast Chargers along interstates and major highways, along the alternative fuel corridors designated by the Federal Highway Administration. Those DC Fast Chargers will be able to charge an electric vehicle in about 20 minutes.

Phase 2 will then involve the build out of community-based DC fast chargers and Level 2 chargers that take between four and eight hours to fully charge an EV.

The agency added that expects to fully build out the state’s EV charging infrastructure over the next seven years.

“The build out of the EV charging stations will help our state advance clean transportation and be a great economic opportunity for businesses of all sizes,” said Paula Hemmer, NCDOT’s statewide initiative senior engineer, in a statement. “The map gives businesses an opportunity to determine where it would be economically feasible to build and operate EV charging stations,” she noted. “There are a lot of things to consider like whether a site is easily accessible to all travelers and a site’s proximity to amenities like restaurants and hotels.”

In February, NCDOT said it expects to issue a request for proposals for people interested in applying for funds for Phase 1 of the EV charger installation.

Environmental News Highlights – January 17, 2024

FEDERAL ACTION

FHWA Issues $623M in Charging/Fueling Grants -AASHTO Journal

$32.5 Million in Funding to Advance Transportation Electrification in USA –CleanTechnica

What you need to know to access the $14 billion from the EPA’s National Clean Investment Fund –GreenBiz

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Idaho governor sets school buildings, water infrastructure and transportation as top priorities –AP

LA on a Mission to Electrify Transportation By the 2028 Olympics -Government Technology

California Pushes Electric Trucks as the Future of Freight -New York Times

Maryland Governor Joins U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Partners to Announce $15 Million in Funding for New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across Maryland -State of Maryland (media release)

AIR QUALITY

How 3 states are attacking carbon emissions from transportation -Smart Cities Dive

Embracing the Advanced Clean Trucks Rule, or Not? -Advanced Clean Tech News

Ohio Law Bans State Adoption of California Emission Rules -Transport Topics

Electric school buses are a breath of fresh air for children –Grist

Separating myth from reality on climate change -Aspen Daily News

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

Colorado’s environmental justice efforts need a boost from lawmakers, advocates say -KCDO-TV

Hawaiʻi Seaglider Initiative hopes to provide low cost, accessible kamaʻāina transportation -Kauai Now

NATURAL RESOURCES

How clean is the upper Mississippi River? New report finds signs of improvement and emerging threats -Milwuakee Journal Sentinel

CULTURAL RESOURCES

No joke: Feds are banning humorous electronic messages on highways –AP

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

NYCDOT’s “Smart Curbs” Test on Upper West Side Will Pit Car Owners Against Bikes and Pedestrians -West Side Spirit

Chicago panel gets earful about need for greater bicycle safety -WBBM Radio

Richmond Bridge Bike Path Has an Amazing View – and an Uncertain Future -KQED Radio

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Health Research and Surveillance Priorities from the East Palestine Train Derailment Proceedings of a Workshop – in Brief -National Academies

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

National Maritime Security Advisory Committee; February 2024 Meeting -United States Coast Guard (Notice of open Federal advisory committee meeting)

Request for Nominations for the Working Group on Covered Resources to the Federal Highway Administration -FHWA (Notice)

Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Final Restoration Plan 4 and Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Nutrient Reduction (Nonpoint Source); and Provide and Enhance … -Natural Resources Conservation Service (Notice of availability)

Solicitation for Annual Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award -Office of the Secretary of Transportation (Notice)

Restoration Planning To Address 1999 Oregon-Washington Coast Mystery Oil Spill -Fish and Wildlife Service (Notice of intent to conduct restoration planning)

Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Expected Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice; request for comments)

Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia -Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice; request for comments)

Environmental Management Advisory Board -Office of Environmental Management, DOE (Notice of renewal)

MassDOT Touts 2023 Multimodal Trail Construction

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation noted it built and opened approximately 20 miles of shared use paths in 2023, while also expanding multimodal connectivity and opportunities for recreation statewide as well as enhancing pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

[Above photo by MassDOT]

The 20 miles of shared paths that opened in 2023 was the result of completed projects, either constructed by MassDOT or jointly funded through the MassTrails program, along 14 different trails across Massachusetts.

In May 2023, the MassTrails Team officially launched its Priority Trails Network map. By the end of 2024, the agency said 25 additional miles of shared paths are expected to open statewide, further expanding multimodal connectivity for Massachusetts.

Throughout the course of 2023, MassDOT said it also completed dozens of roadway projects that added new bike lanes, sidewalks, shared use paths, and crosswalks. Additionally, MassDOT continued to support improvements in school zones and the expansion of shared paths and trails through programs like Safe Routes to School, Shared Streets and Spaces, Complete Streets, and MassTrails, which have all helped to prioritize investments in municipalities to create safer, multimodal travel.

“I want to commend our dedicated teams at MassDOT for the progress they made over the course of 2023 to give our communities more miles of multimodal connectivity,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt in a statement.

“These projects are designed to make our transportation network safer, more practical and more inclusive for all users,” she added. “We have many achievements to be proud of – and great momentum for 2024.”

“When we expand and enhance our inventory of multimodal paths, we are not just removing barriers to biking and walking, but setting the foundations for healthier, safer, more prosperous communities,” noted Peter Sutton, MassDOT bicycle and pedestrian coordinator.

“This success was possible thanks to our team’s great dedication, as well as the invaluable collaboration of the community leaders and advocates who continue to work with us on behalf of those who rely on our transportation systems,” he said.

MassDOT noted the MassTrails Team consists of MassDOT, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Continuing efforts to support the state’s growing network of trails, in 2023 the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $11 million in its fifth annual round of MassTrails Grants to 68 projects across Massachusetts.

The grants provide assistance for the construction, maintenance and improvements for a variety of public trails throughout the state trails system, such as hiking trails, bikeways and shared-use paths, MassDOT noted.

NRDC Ranks State Transport Equity, Climate Efforts

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has identified the states doing the most to fight climate change, promote equity, increase active mobility, and improve sustainability through their transportation policies and practices.

[Above photo by NRDC]

The report, “Getting Transportation Right: Ranking the States in Light of New Federal Funding,” calls on states to “take transportation spending off autopilot” to ensure that unprecedented federal funding will have a positive environmental impact. It evaluates each state “to gauge the general policy and spending context that will influence and direct” how the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds will be spent.

The report also ranks which states are doing the most “to improve equity and climate outcomes from the transportation sector,” based largely on data from each state’s department of transportation.

The report measured states’ commitments to equity, active transportation, electric vehicle usage, greenhouse gas reductions, and a host of other environmental metrics through a scoring system based on publicly available data. Some of the metrics focus on whether states have adopted certain policies while other metrics are based on “actual state performance, spending, and outcomes.”

The NRDC’s report also noted that state transportation policies will guide funding decisions that “will shape the nature of the transportation system in the United States for decades to come, with enormous implications for equity, climate change, and public health.”

The states doing the most to improve equity and climate outcomes from the transportation sector, according to the report, are California; Massachusetts; Vermont; Oregon; Washington; New York; Colorado; New Jersey; Connecticut; Minnesota.

The NRDC report ranked states on 20 measurements that fall in five major categories: state planning for climate and equity; vehicle electrification; reducing vehicle miles travelled through expanded transportation choices; system maintenance; and procurement. Measurements included such items as transit investment, flex spending on active transportation, number of EV charging ports per 1,000 people, and whether states compensate citizens for participating in the project planning process.

The report also cited examples of how states are advancing environmental and equity causes:

The Minnesota Department of Transportation set transportation-related greenhouse gas reduction targets of 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 50 percent below 2005 by 2030.
Vermont offers “point-of-sale rebates for the purchase of new EVs,” including greater incentives for buyers with an adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less.
North Carolina DOT “identified strategies to reduce VMT” or vehicle miles traveled and modeled those strategies in key metro areas.
California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon require or encourage environmental product declarations “for commonly used construction materials in transportation projects.”

Although many states already have policies and programs in place to meet equity and climate goals, “other states must rapidly realign their priorities in order to achieve these outcomes,” the report states. “Even the states currently leading the pack, while they are to be commended for their actions thus far, have areas in need of improvement.”

Environmental News Highlights – January 10, 2024

FEDERAL ACTION

AASHTO Seeks to Defer ‘Buy America’ Rules for EV Systems -AASHTO Journal

AASHTO Comments on Proposed Air Quality Rule Changes -AASHTO Journal

The Climate Lawsuit Three Presidents Tried to Kill Is Finally Going to Court –Heatmap

Want More Transit (and Federal Funding)? Build Housing That Supports It –CityLab

The Electric-Vehicle Transition Is Quietly Surging Ahead -American Prospect

The Invisible Railroad Problem -Trains (analysis)

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Why Cities Are Turning to Climate Change Dashboards -Government Technology

Electric vehicle sales are slowing. No need for panic yet, insiders say. -ABC News

Wyoming DOT gauges interest in electric vehicle charging stations -Wyoming News Exchange

Critical Infrastructure Is Sinking Along the US East Coast –Wired

Wider bike lanes (and no more door-zones!) coming to N Willamette this year –BikePortland

AIR QUALITY

How Google Is Using AI To Help Seattle Reduce Traffic And Emissions -CBS Evening News

California’s Plan to Phase Out Gasoline-Only Vehicles Faces Regulatory Review -Motor Mouth

The Regulation of Air Pollution That Crosses State Borders -Columbia University (opinion)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

New York City union sues to block city congestion pricing plan –Reuters

Improving Transportation Equity for all by Centering the Needs of Marginalized and Underserved Communities -Minnesota DOT (report)

Alabama TSA Officer Brightens Deaf Community’s Travel Experience -TSA (media release)

NATURAL RESOURCES

WSDOT Project Deters Debris Flows from Burn Areas -AASHTO Journal

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Transforming the Santa Monica Airport Into a Great Park –Planetizen

Golden Gate Bridge’s Suicide Net Is Finally Complete –AP

Transportation Agencies and Partners Address Bridge Suicide Prevention -Tolling Points (blog)

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Oklahoma DOT seeks public input on new Active Transportation Plan -KTUL-TV

City of Asheville’s new Active Transportation Committee gets moving -AVL Today

Delray Beach, Florida rolls out preliminary $100 million long-term plan for bicyclists, pedestrians -Palm Beach Post

Costa Mesa installs crosswalk on Wilson Street, where a vigilante painted one last year -Daily Beat

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRB Webinar: Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults in COVID-19 –TRB

Wildlife Crossings Improve Traffic Safety and May Protect Biodiversity -FHWA Public Roads

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural Business Development Grant Program To Provide Technical Assistance for Rural Transportation Systems for Fiscal Year 2024 -Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Notice)

Renewable Energy Modernization Rule; Correction -Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (Proposed rule; correction)

Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations; Consistency Update for Maryland -EPA (Final rule)

Committee to Provide USDOT with Innovation Advice

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently formed the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee or TTAC to provide insight to the agency regarding how to support and implement “innovations.”

[Above photo by the USDOT]

The department said the 27 members of this advisory committee were selected from across academia, think tanks, the public sector, labor, and private industry to offer insight on a wide-range of transportation-related topics such as automation, cybersecurity, safety, accessibility, entrepreneurship, privacy, equity, and more.

“We are living in a time filled with unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenges in transportation,” said USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.

“The deep expertise and diverse perspectives of this impressive group will provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable, and transformative,” he added.

USDOT said that TTAC members will serve two-year terms and may be reappointed. The agency added that the first TTAC meeting will be held on January 18 and explore several key issues related to:

Pathways to safe, secure, equitable, environmentally friendly and accessible deployments of emerging technologies;
Integrated approaches to promote greater cross-modal integration of emerging technologies, in particular applications to deploy automation
Policies that encourage innovation to grow and support a safe and productive U.S. workforce, as well as foster economic competitiveness and job quality;
Approaches and frameworks that encourage the secure exchange and sharing of transformative transportation data, including technologies and infrastructure, across the public and private sectors that can guide core policy decisions across USDOT’s strategic goals; and,
Ways USDOT can identify and elevate cybersecurity solutions and protect privacy across transportation systems and infrastructure.

USDOT noted that its TTAC membership includes Eileen Vélez-Vega, secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Public Works and Transportation, as well as chair of the Council on Aviation for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Raised in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, Vélez-Vega received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and a Masters in Engineering from Mississippi State University.

She interned at the Walt Disney World college program in Florida and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, then worked for four years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a civil engineer as well as for the North Carolina-based Kimley-Horn design and planning firm.

Vélez-Vega – who specializes in the design and construction for commercial and general aviation airports, as well as multidisciplinary projects and business development – returned to Puerto Rico in 2014 as Kimley-Horn’s vice president of business development on the island. She was named secretary of the Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works in 2020; the first woman to hold that role.

WSDOT Project Deters Wildfire Debris Flows

The Washington State Department of Transportation is wrapping up a project aimed at deterring debris flows along U.S. 2/Stevens Pass Highway from “burn scars” left behind by the 2022 Bolt Creek Fire, which burned nearly 15,000 acres in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

[Above photo by WSDOT]

The agency noted in a blog post about the project that wildfires can change the landscape, turning dense trees and vegetation into large areas with ashes and dry soil – areas known as burn scars.

“If it rains a lot or snow on the ground melts really fast, these burn scars can produce fast-moving landslides called debris flows,” WSDOT said. “These can be dangerous and might harm people and property within their path.”

After the Bolt Creek wildfire, WSDOT personnel studied the area and found two areas near the burn scar – about four miles northwest of Skykomish – that posed a “higher risk” of debris flows of mud and loose rock potentially affecting U.S. 2.

“We had to close U.S. 2 east of Gold Bar several times because of the active fire and debris falling onto the highway,” WSDOT noted. “The fire also left a burn scar that will take several years to recover.”

To mitigate the impact of such debris flows on the roadway and surrounding area, the WSDOT built a series of walls, berms, and fences along certain sections of U.S. 2 to protect both the roadway and its stormwater culverts.

WSDOT built two debris fences – one 60 feet long and the other 110 feet long – above specific culverts to help stop detritus from blocking roadway culverts if debris flows occur happens.

Along another section of the roadway, WSDOT built six-foot-tall wall, called a berm, made of natural materials. This berm will guide any potential debris flows away from U.S. 2 to a lower natural “catch” area near the highway. The berm is 94 feet long and required nearly 300 tons of material to build. In spring 2024, the agency said it will add native plant seeds to further help stabilize the berm area.

“Our maintenance crews will keep an eye on the highway along the burn scar, looking for downed trees and limbs, clearing ditches and culverts and looking for any early warning signs of a potential debris flow,” WSDOT noted. “Hopefully, the berm and the fences are never tested by a debris flow, but … we have taken the necessary steps to reduce the risk and keep U.S. 2 open while the area recovers from the Bolt Creek Fire.”

Environmental News Highlights – January 3, 2024

FEDERAL ACTION

New Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Issued -AASHTO Journal

On the Heels of New Industry Standard for EV Charging, FHWA Takes Key Step Toward Updating Federal Standards to Promote Innovation -FHWA (media release)

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Overshadowed by electrification push, hydrogen gains steam in Nevada public transportation -Nevada Independent

Hydrogen Hubs Central to State Government Action in 2023 -Transport Topics

MassDOT Shifts Into High Gear for Statewide Network of EV Fast-Charging Stations –Hoodline

Plans to install EV charging stations are about to run into an ugly wall of permitting and utility delays -Route Fifty (Commentary)

AIR QUALITY

California Air Resources Board to Delay Enforcement of Registration Requirements -Transport Topics

Transit Agencies Lay Groundwork for Zero Emission Bus Fleet Overhaul –Metro

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/EQUITY

Podcast: Wrapping up the Transportation Equity Series -AASHTO Journal

A new tool designed to put environmental justice on the map in Colorado has faced a rocky rollout -Colorado Public Radio

NATURAL RESOURCES

States Will Need Millions to Protect Affected Wetlands –Governing

Arkansas DOT Releases Traffic Management Plan Ahead Of 2024 Total Solar Eclipse -Arkansas DOT (media release)

CULTURAL RESOURCES

How One Photographer’s Daily Obsession With the Golden Gate Bridge Saves Lives -San Francisco Standard

Native American Translations Being Added To More US Road Signs To Promote Language, Awareness –AP

Social media platform to reunite owners with stolen bicycles -Newry Democrat

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

E-scooter firms set out to revolutionize transportation. Instead, many are collapsing. –Marketplace

From Rails to Trails, with Peter Harnik -Resources Radio (link to podcast)

On-Demand Microtransit Can’t Escape This Big Problem –CityLab

Bicycles Still Not ‘Intended’ On Roads, Illinois Supreme Court Finds -Chicago Patch

What Will It Take To Create A Bicycle-Friendly Los Angeles? –CityWatch

TRB RESOURCES/RESEARCH/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wheels Up! Alaska’s Rural Air Service –TRB

Framework for Implementing Constructability Throughout Project Development from NEPA to Final Design –NCHRP

Incorporating Nondestructive Testing in Quality Assurance of Highway Pavement Construction: Conduct of Research Report -NCHRP

Incorporating Nondestructive Testing in Quality Assurance of Highway Pavement Construction: Manual. –NCHRP

Challenges and Opportunities Toward a Just Transition and Sustainable Development: Proceedings of a Workshop – in Brief -National Academies

Governing urban regions with a network of plans –Cities

The potential of emerging bio-based products to reduce environmental impacts -Nature

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

National Standards for Traffic Control Devices; the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways; Revision -FHWA (Final rule)

Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee; Public Meeting -Office of the Secretary, USDOT (Notice of public meeting)

Transportation Services for Individuals With Disabilities: ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities -USDOT {Extension of comment period)

California State Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Standards; Advanced Clean Cars II Regulations; Request for Waiver of Preemption; Opportunity for Public Hearing and Public Comment -EPA (Notice)

Air Plan Approval; Georgia; Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program -EPA (Proposed rule)

Water Quality Standards To Protect Aquatic Life in the Delaware River -EPA (Proposed rule)

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Rubber Tire Manufacturing Amendments: Extension of Comment Period -EPA (Proposed rule)

Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee (AMSC), Eastern Great Lakes, Western New York Sub-Committee Vacancy -Coast Guard (Notice of availability of committee vacancy; solicitation for membership)

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Meeting for the Pier Wind Terminal Development Project at the Port of Long Beach, City of Long Beach and County of Los Angeles, California (SPL–2023–00720) -U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Notice)

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Future Floating Wind Energy Development Related to 2023 Leased Areas Offshore California -Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior (Notice; request for comments)

Safety Zone; South Fork Wind Farm Project Area, Outer Continental Shelf, Lease OCS–A 0517, Offshore Rhode Island, Atlantic Ocean -Coast Guard (Temporary interim rule and request for comments)

Notice of Teleconference Meeting of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee -Office of the Secretary, Interior (Meeting notice)