The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has filed another request for comment on renewal of Information Correction Request for authority to seek information required under the regulations in 30 CFR part 550, part 556, and part 560, Leasing of Sulfur or Oil and Gas in the Outer Continental Shelf. BOEM is seeking comments again because no comments were received in response to BOEM’s April 2019 request for comments.
The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. §§ 1331 et
Several parties have sued NOAA/NMFS in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. These parties are challenging NOAA/NMFS’ issuance of Marine Mammal Protection Act Take authorizations for oil and gas seismic operations in parts of the Atlantic Ocean.
On June 19, 2019, the Court issued an order that establishes a summary judgment briefing schedule for all parties that extends into November 2019.
The court’s ruling on these summary judgment motions will probably dispose of this case on the district court level. There will probably be appeals of whatever the district court rules.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued an incidental harassment authorization to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University to incidentally harass, by Level A and Level B harassment, marine mammals during seismic airgun activities associated with a marine geophysical survey in the Gulf of Alaska. This Authorization is issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and it is effective from June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020. Click here for more details and relevant links.
Editor’s Note: The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted the above-tltled article on one of IAGC’s websites. This article reads as follows:
“By The Post and Courier One of six companies seeking federal permits to conduct seismic blast tests off South Carolina currently has its application up for review by state officials.
WesternGeco, a Texas-based exploration company, wants to test from Virginia to the Georgia border.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is reviewing the request.
Editor’s Note–Alaska Public Media posted the above-titled article, which reads as follows:
“The Trump administration Tuesday appealed a federal court decision that blocked plans to re-open vast portions of Alaska’s Arctic waters to oil drilling.
In March, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the president exceeded his authority when he issued an executive order undoing an Obama-era ban on oil leasing in large parts of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
An U.S. Interior Department spokesperson, Molly Block, declined to comment. The case will now go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
CALASH prepared the above-titled report for the American Petroleum Institute. The Report can be accessed here.
