As the new Biden Administration takes the helm in January 2021, there are great expectations for the next year in terms of consistency and stability at the federal level. Generally, industry can expect the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to stay true to its core missions with support from the highest levels of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its parent agency. In this article, Holland & Knight takes a closer look at what to expect from the USCG in the coming year, including three key issues to watch.
1. Environmental Stewardship: It’s Not Easy Being Green
A hallmark of the USCG is to serve as steward of the nation’s maritime environment. Expect this to continue with an increased emphasis on industry compliance and efforts toward innovative solutions for a more sustainable economy that serves to reduce greenhouse gas carbon emissions across the shipping sector. With Democratic control of Congress, the Biden Administration seems ready to welcome innovative technologies that support a clean energy economy and treat climate change as a national security threat. Specifically, it is expected that President-Elect Joe Biden will rejoin the Paris Agreement in his early days of…