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On January 21, the U.S. District Court in South Carolina blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to continue preparatory work for offshore drilling during the federal government’s partial shutdown. This ruling comes in response to a decision from the Trump administration issued earlier this month that called back Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) workers to continue processing offshore seismic testing permits in the Atlantic. The testing, which involves loud airgun blasts underwater, is a precursor to offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, and is opposed by many coastal communities in South Carolina due to its potential to cause environmental harm.

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While nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that naturally occur in aquatic ecosystems, the presence of these nutrients in excessive quantities causes risks to human health and results in substantial economic and environmental harms. Nutrient pollution is primarily caused by several human activities, including municipal wastewater discharges, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharges, such as fertilized cropland manure and runoff.

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On New Year’s Eve, President Trump signed the “Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2018” (Modern Fish Act) into law. The Act amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to address the management of federal recreational fisheries. The bill, introduced in 2017 by Senator Roger Wicker and Congressman Garret Graves, had more than a dozen cosponsors in both the House and Senate.

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