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OR&R Weekly Report

The Office of Response and Restoration publishes this weekly round-up of news and information of interest to our partners, stakeholders, and team members. Click to subscribe

January 2025

A dilapidated house structure on a tropical, sandy shoreline.

In this week's edition, five hurricane response marine debris removal awards go to Alaska, Florida, and Puerto Rico, OR&R and the U.S. Coast Guard expand an oil spill planning tool to Lake Erie, two restoration plans and environmental assessments for the Oahu Sugar Site are released, and more.

Screenshot of man speaking in a studio setting.

In this week's edition, learn how OR&R and partners recovered $40 million from polluters in 2024, register for an upcoming webinar exploring preventative and regulatory efforts to reduce plastic usage in island communities, meet an OR&R employee and two valued partners and colleagues recently honored with National Ocean Service awards, and more.

December 2024

A stack of derelict crab traps.

In this week's edition, check out eleven projects recently announced to receive funding to remove derelict traps from coastal waters, read about novel tools, methods, and approaches to Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) featured in SETAC Globe, and learn about NOAA scientists sharing rxperiences and expertise with Florida student researchers.

Individual presents in front of a room next to a projector screen that features information about the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique.

In this week's edition, OR&R supports the Philippine Coast Guard with oil spill response training, the web-based mapping application ERMA® gets an update, the Disaster Response Center hosts NOAA's Office of the National Marine Sanctuaries leadership team, and more. 

November 2024

Individual presents on NOAA's role in oil spill response in front of presentation attendees.

In this week's edition, OR&R participates in a Republic of Korea - U.S. Joint Maritime Oil Spill Response workshop, the NOAA Southeast Region participates in the fall Texas trustee summit on Natural Resource Damage Assessments, regulatory updates for 2024 are released in CAMEO Data Manager and Tier2 Submit, and more.

Front page of 'Major Storm Disaster Declarations' fact sheet.

In this week's edition, check out newly released disaster aid resources for Louisiana communities, learn about assessment and restoration science promoted at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America annual meeting, and meet four new interns joining OR&R to support natural resource damage assessment and restoration.

A broken boat staged in the center of a room within an aquarium.

In this week's edition, a new marine debris exhibit, made possible with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, debuts at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

October 2024

Individual wearing headset and holding controllers. Two screens above the individual display the virtual reality view that the individual is witnessing from within the headset.

 

In this week's edition, OR&R hosts an intellectual exchange with a London-based spill response nonprofit.

October 2023

A pile of trash including plastic bottles, caps, and a straw.

In this week's edition, marine debris awards for diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility are announced, the NOAA Marine Debris Program in collaboration with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries releases a new report on marine debris in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the U.S. Coast Guard releases a video on a NOAA partnership to advance spill response, and more.

A Coast Guard member watches the F/V Aleutian Isle being lifted onto a barge off San Juan Island on Sept. 21, 2022.

In this week's edition, OR&R is recognized for coastal resilience with an environmental award, the NOAA Marine Debris Program releases the Puerto Rico Strategic Plan to reduce aquatic debris and NOAA joins the Seattle Aquarium for a microplastics and marine debris workshop.

A large container ship

In this week's edition, OR&R shares the science of oil spill response with science teachers, OR&R trains New England region emergency responders in the science of oil spills, and OR&R accompanies the U.S. Coast Guard for an offshore wind spill exercise in the Northeast.

Individual presents in front of a room of people next to a digital presentation screen with a PowerPoint slide displayed.

In this week's edition, OR&R shares marine debris expertise with an international working group working to develop a microplastics monitoring framework in the Great Lakes and convenes with Indo-Pacific partner nations for an oil spill response workshop.