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www.sea-technology.com February 2016 / st 49 US House Votes Down Rule to Expand Federal Waters The U.S. House of Representatives voted against a recent Obama Administration rule that the House thinks gives the federal government sweeping new authority to regulate virtu- ally all waters or wet areas in the U.S. The House approved S.J. Res 22, a resolution of congres- sional disapproval that vacates the administration's rule, published on June 29, 2015, to broaden the defnition under federal law of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) and expand federal regulatory power under the Clean Water Act. Opponents argue that the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pub- lished the fnal WOTUS rule without properly consulting state and local authorities. The Senate approved S.J. Res 22 in November. Presi- dent Barack Obama vetoed the Congressional resolution in January. Jason-3 Launches For Earth Monitoring Jason-3, a U.S.-European oceanography satellite mission with NASA participation that will continue a nearly quarter- century record of tracking global sea level rise, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Jason-3 is an international mission led by NOAA in partnership with NASA, the French space agency CNES, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. The mission will im- prove weather, climate and ocean forecasts. Jason-3 will begin full science operations after a six-month checkout phase, joining Jason-2, which launched in 2008. From low-Earth orbit, Jason-3 will precisely measure the height of 95 percent of the world's ice-free ocean every 10 days. Data from Jason-3 will be used for other scientifc, com- mercial and operational applications, including modeling of deep-ocean waves; forecasts of surface waves for offshore operators; forecasts of tides and currents for commercial ship- ping and ship routing; coastal forecasts to respond to environ- mental challenges such as oil spills and harmful algal blooms; coastal modeling crucial for marine mammal and coral reef research; and forecasts of El Niño and La Niña events. Ocean Champions Wins Excellence in Policy Award For the frst time in the history of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, an organization will receive the Excellence in Policy Award: Ocean Champions and its Co-Founder Dr. David Wilmot. Receiving this award refects the unique niche Ocean Champions has played at the intersection of ocean policy and politics. Ocean Champions is a conservation organization that in- cludes a Political Action Committee (PAC) aimed at making the health of public seas a nonpartisan national government priority. The Peter Benchley Ocean Awards acknowledge out- standing achievement across many sectors of society leading to the protection of the ocean, coasts and the communities that depend on them. capital report