Improving coastal resilience with ASBPA’s water level observing network
On The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank welcomes Renee Orr from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Renee is the Chief of the Office of Strategic Resources, and is currently serving as acting Deputy Director for BOEM. After touching on offshore energy production, the conversation shifts to sand. BOEM manages the Outer Continental Shelf sand resources which have been used to restore over 330 miles of U.S. coastline and has supplied 152 million cubic yards of sand, including the largest coastal restoration project by volume in U.S. history with Gulf Island National Seashore restoration as part of the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP). How much sand was used? Just imagine a sandcastle the size of the Empire State Building. And then imagine 12 of them in a row!
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Guest
Renee Orr is a Senior Executive on BOEM’s leadership team with more than 25 years of experience with the Department of Interior. As Chief of the Office of Strategic Resources, she oversees development and implementation of the Nation’s offshore oil and gas and marine mineral leasing programs. BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program is responsible for stewardship of the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf mineral resources. The MMP assesses and provides access to these critical resources to preserve and restore the nation’s beaches and support coastal resilience, such as in BOEM’s Hurricane Sandy response. Renee earned her B.A. degrees in Economics and History from Metropolitan State College in Denver.
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Podcast Host
ASBPA Executive Director, Derek Brockbank, hosts this semi-regular podcast. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek started his career as a grassroots organizer. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.