BOEM has a new draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Gulf of Mexico, Central Planning Area Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247. The Comment period on this DSEIS ends May 5, 2014. Representative statements from this DSEIS include:
“Marine Mammals: Routine events related to a CPA proposed action are not expected to have adverse effects on the size and productivity of any marine mammal species or population in the northern Gulf of Mexico.”
BOEM says in this DSEIS that most oil and gas noise is at frequencies too low to bother GOM marine mammals:
“As noted below and in Chapter 4.2.1.12.2 of the 2012-2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS and Chapter 4.2.1.12 of the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS, it is believed that most of the oil and gas industry-related noise is at lower frequencies than is detectable or in the sensitivity range of most of the GOM marine mammal species.”
This DSEIS also distinguishes seismic from sonar:
“Noise and acoustic disturbance have been topics of great debate in the last several years, and there is general agreement that the use of sonar, particularly by the military, has in some cases been associated with very severe impacts to certain species of marine mammals in recent years. Seismic airgun sounds are often incorrectly lumped with sonar noise as source of marine mammal disturbance. Although there are anecdotal associations between marine mammal disturbance and airgun noise, most of those have other factors occurring at the same time (i.e., sonar use) that may be responsible for any adverse impacts.”
This DSEIS also states that the current regulation “minimizes potential of harm from seismic operations to marine mammals”:
“NTL 2012-JOINT-G02, ‘Implementation of Seismic Survey Mitigation Measures and Protected Species Observer Program,’ minimizes the potential of harm from seismic operations to marine mammals. These mitigations include onboard observers, airgun shut-downs for whales in the exclusion zone, ramp-up procedures, and the use of a minimum sound source. Therefore, no significant cumulative impacts to marine mammals would be expected as a result of the proposed exploration activities when added to the impacts of past, present, or reasonably foreseeable oil and gas development in the area, as well as other ongoing activities in the area.”
Click here to read DSEIS.
