The IAGC-IADC MMPA/Offshore Legal Issues Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, October 25, 2018 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST, at TGS, 10451 Clay Rd ,Houston, TX 77041. Click here to register.
The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness filed comments that criticized NOAA’s use of inaccurate and unreliable models to estimate takes from GOM seismic. CRE’s comments explained that these inaccurate and unreliable models greatly overestimate takes, have no correlation with reality, and violate the Data Quality Act. CRE’s comments recommended that NOAA take the following actions (footnotes omitted):
“Until and unless peer review determines that the models are accurate and properly validated, NOAA should use Line Transect to estimate exposures and takes.
NOAA should also:
(1) use Wood et al (2012) instead of Nowacek et al (2015) for Level B takes.
The U.S. National marine Fisheries Service has received a request from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to Arctic Research Activities in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. Comments and information must be received by NMFS no later than September 13, 2018. Click here for more details and relevant links.
The Center for Biological Diversity to hold the government accountable for allegedly violating the Endangered Species Act by not acting on a 2014 petition filed by CBD that sought to expand “critical habitat” areas for the orcas from Puget Sound waters to include the coastline down to near San Francisco.The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, names the National Marine Fisheries Service, its West Coast regional administrator, and the U.S. secretary of Commerce as defendants. It said the Fisheries Service had agreed in February 2015 that expanding the protection zone for the orcas was “warranted,” but has since failed to take action, putting the orcas at greater risk of extinction. Click here to read a Seattle Times article about the lawsuit.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has prepared four draft programmatic environmental assessments for the proposed continuation of field operations for each region of sites managed by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. NOAA is soliciting public comment on the four regional draft programmatic environmental assessments. Comments on these draft programmatic environmental assessments will be considered by NOAA if received by September 21, 2018. Click here for more information and relevant links.
Offshore Magazine published the above titled article, which follows:
“The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has awarded new contracts supported by government funding for programs to stimulate exploration activity on the UK continental shelf (UKCS).
The awards, which followed a competitive tendering process during 1Q 2018, are as follows:
- A contract to fund the first year of a four-year UKCS petroleum systems project, to be performed by a consortium of Lloyd’s Register and IGI. The two companies will compile a comprehensive database of legacy geochemical data acquired across the UKCS over the past five decades.
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted the following article on the IAGC website:
“John Hammond is a pioneer of Tasmania’s scallop industry, with more than 50 years’ experience.
He has had concerns about marine seismic testing by oil and gas companies for about 10 years — since helping a seismic survey team in Bass Strait.
Seismic testing involves firing soundwaves into the ocean floor to detect the presence of oil or gas reserves.
Hundreds of sonic blasts measure the geology of the seabed in the hopes of finding oil or gas deposits.
“BLM expects ‘minimal impacts’ from seismic testing in ANWR – Pamela King, E&E News reporter”
Aug 02
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors published the following article on its website:
“If history is any indicator, the federal government could find limited impacts from a proposal to image oil and gas resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Bureau of Land Management officials say.
But energy exploration in ANWR’s coastal plain is a largely untested endeavor that requires more scrutiny than BLM appears set to offer, environmental and conservation groups counter.
BLM last week published SAExploration Holdings Inc.’s seismic application on the agency’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) register (Energywire, July 25). The agency has since confirmed that it intends to conduct an environmental assessment (EA) of the proposal.
