The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The WEAs are located off the coasts of Galveston, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and have the potential to power nearly three million homes.  

BOEM collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify the most appropriate location for the designation. Our staff supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science worked with the team to build an ocean model that analyzed the entire Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Through this analysis, BOEM was able to locate areas that have the least conflict with other uses and the lowest environmental impact. 

View BOEM’s press release

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Expanding Our Offshore Wind Team

We’ve recently added several staff to bolster the offshore wind team at NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. With this full team of 13, our employee owners are able to provide more focused support in their areas of expertise, including mapping and spatial modeling, data collection, communications, project management, and partner engagement. Through this…

Several large coral fragments in a tank

Studying Corals for Future Protection and Restoration

Coral reefs are under threat from warming waters, disease, degraded water quality, and other stressors. Several shallow water coral species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Our team of coral scientists on contract with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science are studying coral reproduction, and genetics, and the environmental factors that…

Vast tidal wetland with storm approaching

Supporting Wetlands Today and Throughout the Year

February 2 is World Wetlands Day, a day to celebrate and honor these invaluable ecosystems. Through a variety of projects on several contracts, our employee owners support wetlands throughout the year. Below are some examples of projects that CSS works on to support wetlands and promote the benefits they provide.