The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness filed comments on the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Information Collection Request to implement BOEM’s permitting program for oil and gas seismic operations in the Outer Continental Shelf. For reasons explained in these comments, CRE asked BOEM to withdraw its petition to the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service to issue a regulation governing the taking of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. This requested BOEM action is required not only by the Information Quality Act but also by the Paperwork Reduction Act, which governs the issuance of the Information Collection Request for which BOEM is seeking public comment. Click here to read all of CRE’s comments.
On November 30, 2018, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service issued an IHA in the Atlantic Ocean to ION GeoVentures, pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). NMFS has received a request, co-signed by officers from ION GeoVentures (ION) and GX Technology Corporation (GXT), to administratively change the name of the holder of the subject IHA from ION to GXT. No other changes are proposed. NMFS is inviting comments on the proposed change. NMFS must receive comments by January 2, 2020. Click here for more details and relevant links.
