The Regulation of Seismic Exploration in the United States

CRE recently filed comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Information Collection Request for BOEM’s offshore oil and gas permitting program. CRE’s comments disagreed with BOEM’s response to CRE’s comments on this ICR, which affects BOEM’s permitting process for offshore oil and gas seismic. CRE’s previous comments had requested that BOEM withdraw its petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service for a regulation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act governing the taking of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM’s response stated, “This comment is outside the scope of this information collection renewal.” CRE’s latest comments pointed out that CRE’s request for withdrawal is within the scope of this ICR because (citations omitted):

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has  received a request from the U.S. Marine Corp for authorization to take bottlenose dolphin incidental to training operations at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Range Complex over the course of seven years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is announcing receipt of the USMC’s request for the development and implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals. NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on USMC’s application and request. Comments and information must be received no later than November 5, 2020. Click here for more information and relevant links.