New Marine Sanctuary Will Protect Historic Shipwrecks in Lake Michigan
July 20th, 2021 — by Amiah A. Henry — Category: Marine Monuments
In late June 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) designated Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary (WSCNMS or Sanctuary) in the fresh, cold waters of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation; Final Regulations, 86 Fed. Reg. 32,737 (to be codified at 15 C.F.R pt. 922). Following a review by Congress and the governor of Wisconsin, the designation will become effective in the first weeks of August 2021, at which time NOAA will publish an announcement in the Federal Register. It is set to become the fifteenth national sanctuary and only the second in freshwater.
In a recent 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court held that the federal government may delegate its power to take state land through eminent domain to private companies.
