CRE Comments on BOEM’s 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program

The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness

On July 29, 2014, the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness filed comments on the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Request for Information and Comments on the Preparation of the 2017–2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas LeasingProgram.  CRE’s comments include the following executive summary:

“BOEM and NMFS will conduct environmental reviews of the OCS Program. A recent court opinion and numerous agency studies correctly conclude that oil and gas seismic is safe under current regulation.

Article Proposes Ocean Zoning for North Atlantic Right Whales

A new article proposes “a multi-stakeholder marine spatial planning process that considers both appropriate positioning of offshore wind farms and redefining commercial shipping lanes relative to [North Atlantic right whale] migration routes.”

This article is Petruny, L.M., Wright, A.J. & Smith, C.E. 2014. Getting it right for the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis): A last opportunity for effective marine spatial planning? Marine Pollution Bulletin. Published Online 4th July 2014. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.004.

The abstract of this article is as follows:

White House Website on Marine Planning

The White House’s National Ocean Council has published a website devoted to an explanation of “Marine Planning.”  This website provides a brief video and includes the following text:

“Marine Planning

Global Ocean Commission Publishes Report on Ocean Resources

On June 24, 2014, the Global Ocean Commission published a report entitled From Decline to Recovery: A Rescue Package for the Global Ocean. According to this report, there are five key drivers of ocean decline: rising demand for resources; technological advances; decline of fish stocks; climate change; biodiversity and habitat loss; and weak high seas governance.

To shift from continued decline to a cycle of recovery and urge nations to effectively protect ocean resources, the report put forward a package of proposals. These proposals include: ensure that all fish stocks are being fished sustainably; protect vulnerable marine areas; reduce biodiversity loss; eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and reduce by 50% quantities of plastic debris entering the marine environment.

U.S. House adopts Congressman Byrne’s amendment to defund Obama ‘ocean grab’ (Al.com)

From: Al.com

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Bradley Byrne to cut off funding for an executive order issued by President Barack Obama that the congressman contends amounts to an “ocean grab.”

Byrne, R-Fairhope, along with Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, offered the amendment to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015. The amendment passed on a voice vote.

Byrne voted in the 253-170 majority to pass the entire $34 billion spending bill, which funds the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and provides money for some Interior Department programs and several independent agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.