William Y. Brown, Chief Environmental Officer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has written a very important article for BOEM’s online Science Notes. This article is entitled The Science Behind the Decision: Answers to Frequently asked Questions about the Atlantic Geological and Geophysical Activities Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). Dr. Brown’s article corrects misinformation being spread by some environmental NGOs who oppose the Atlantic PEIS. In his own words, Dr. Brown
“wanted to take some time to clear up a few misperceptions about the bureau’s decision and what it means.
As a scientist who has spent a good part of my career working in non-governmental environmental organizations and in industry, I understand and appreciate advocacy. At the same time, I believe that everyone benefits by getting the facts right.”
Dr. Brown’s article emphasizes that
“To date, there has been no documented scientific evidence of noise from air guns used in geological and geophysical (G & G) seismic activities adversely affecting marine mammal populations or coastal communities.”
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“We expect survey operators to comply with our requirements and, if they do, seismic surveys should not cause any deaths or injuries to the hearing of marine mammals or sea turtles.”
Dr. Brown’s article is essential reading for any one interested in the facts of this issue. It can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
