Tag Archives: Chris Van Hollen

Hurricane DOGE Sweeps into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

February 10, 2025   International, International News, National

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has been actively involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, embracing them tightly during the last 4 years.  This is the federal agency responsible for e federal agency for forecasting the weather, researching and analyzing climate data. and tracking storms. So, it is a little perplexing that the staff was distracted by social justice initiatives, rather than the meteorological science American expected them to focus on. Now the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has gained access to NOAA’s IT systems and is currently reviewing the agency’s DEI program after having been initially denied entry. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17

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Democrats accuse DOGE of going after NOAA

February 6, 2025   Gulf of Mexico, Mid Atlantic, National, New England, North Pacific, Pacific, South Atlantic

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday accused Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of improperly inserting itself into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In a joint statement, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Musk’s cost-cutting group of accessing NOAA’s computer systems. NOAA is charged with forecasting weather, monitoring atmospheric conditions and mapping the seas, among other things. “Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on,” said Huffman and Lofgren, the top Democrats on the House Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology committees, respectively. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57

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Zinke Tells Panel Definitive Word on Offshore Drilling Plan Months Away

May 10, 2018   Gulf of Mexico, Mid Atlantic, New England, Pacific, South Atlantic

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday reiterated that no new oil and gas exploration will be allowed off the Florida coast, but said the Trump administration’s plans for other offshore areas won’t be announced until the fall. Zinke appeared before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday to discuss a wide range of budgetary issues. But his talk with lawmakers hit a rough patch when Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., grilled him over the Interior Department’s plans to open up waters around the U.S. for oil exploration. >click to read<20:13

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Some Md. lawmakers oppose seismic testing

August 4, 2014   Mid Atlantic

Eight Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation wrote President Obama Monday urging him to reconsider his administration’s plan to allow seismic testing for oil and gas off the mid-Atlantic coast. According to the Department of Interior’s estimates, they said, the use of air guns for testing would injure about 138,000 marine mammals and disrupt their feeding, calving, breeding and other activities. <Read more here> 20:12

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