Unique aerial of the Offshore-Windpark (OWP) five kilometers off the coast of Copenhagen, Denmark. Converted from RAW.

Congratulations to CSS employee owners supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science for their nomination for the NOAA Gold Medal Award! CSS employee owners have been critical members of the team charged with the rapid development of spatial models that aid in offshore wind planning in the Gulf of Mexico. The team has collected authoritative data, developed maps and spatial models, engaged with partners, and managed the project to inform siting of ocean use, environmental review, and permitting. This effort provides guidance to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency responsible for identifying and leasing wind energy areas. This is a tremendous accomplishment that advances the President’s offshore wind energy priority and notably reduces conflict. 

A big congratulations to the entire team of NOAA and CSS employee owners on this well-deserved nomination!

Map of Gulf of Mexico waters showing principal ports and two options for wind energy areas.
Map of Gulf of Mexico showing shipping lanes in blue lines and wind energy areas identified in yellow blocks.

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Ensuring Safety and Support for Sample Testing on the International Space Station

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Worker collects sample of soil

Supervisory Support for 2025 Southern California Wildfires Response Efforts 

Long after wildfires are extinguished, ongoing efforts continue to assess long-term damage and contamination. CSS employee owners are often heavily involved in these efforts and follow up to ensure response operations do not impact the environment.  Response efforts in South California continued throughout the year following the 2025 wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area. CSS continued to support the damage assessment through a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…

Map of Mississippi River Basin showing major contributing rivers.

Supporting the Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard Development 

Congratulations to NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) on the launch of the Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard. This dashboard provides crucial, timely information to support decision-making for those living and working in the basin, which spans 31 states and 40 percent of the contiguous U.S. The team created the dashboard to…