The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has received a request from the United States Air Force USAF, 96th Civil Engineer Group/ Environmental Planning Office 96 CEG/ CEIEA at Eglin Air Force Base for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting testing and training activities in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range in the Gulf of Mexico over the course of five years, from February 4, 2018 to February 3, 2023. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take, and requests comments on the proposed regulations. These regulations include some discussion seismic operations and effects.
In December 2017, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began reviewing draft proposed Revisions to the Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control Rule. The original Rule and its draft Revisions were developed by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. BSEE explains that this
“rulemaking would revise specific provisions of the final well control rule, 81 FR 25888 (April 29, 2016), for drilling, workover, completion and decommissioning activities based on stakeholder input from the final rule implementation and in accordance with section 4 of Secretary’s Order 3350, America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Executive Order (E.O.) 13783, Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth, and section 7 of E.O. 13795, Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy.”
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors published the following article on its website:
“Migrating humpback whales are unfazed by seismic air guns which scan the seafloor as part of oil, and gas exploration, according to Australian research. The research found that the noise created by surveying equipment didn’t cause extra stress to migrating animals. However they did observe whales slowing their migration speed – by 1km per hour, and indicated that the long-term effect requires further study. The air guns use pressurised air to create sound waves which map undersea rock formations for seafloor, oil, and gas exploration, often within range of humpback whales.
With regard to Marine Mammal Protection Act Take rules for offshore oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA/NMFS latest Regulatory Agenda update states that they are proposing the “least stringent alternative” considered. The details of this alternative are not provided by NOAA/NMFS, as the proposed rules have not yet been published.
Companies would have the alternative of applying for different individual IHAs instead of applying for an LOA under the not yet proposed Take rules. NOAA/NMFS warns that applying for an individual IHA may consume more time than just applying for an LOA under the rules.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has published its Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale: Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 2018 (2018 GOM Final Supplemental EIS). The 2018 GOM Final Supplemental EIS provides an analysis of the potential significant impacts of a proposed action (a regionwide lease sale), provides an analysis of reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, and identifies BOEM’s preferred alternative.
This Supplemental EIS is expected to be used to inform decisions on each of the two lease sales scheduled in 2018 (i.e., proposed Lease Sales 250 and 251) and to be supplemented as necessary for future Gulf of Mexico regionwide lease sales.
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors published the following article on its website:
“The US House Natural Resources Committee approved a bill by a 19-14 vote on Nov. 8 that would reform federal onshore and offshore energy resource management policies. H.R. 4239, which Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and three cosponsors introduced on Nov. 3, now heads to the House floor for further consideration.
The latest action largely followed party lines. Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) broke ranks and voted against the bill, which raises the federal offshore revenue-sharing cap with affected coastal states to $750 million. It does not, however, address a disparity between what coastal and inland states as shares from federal energy production, Graves said.
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors published the following article on the IAGC website:
Offshore drilling: Testimony draws House panel in different directions
By Charles Swenson
Coastal Observer
For some it’s personal. For others it’s political. For members of the S.C. House committee on offshore drilling it’s about distilling hours of conflicting testimony into a report to Speaker Jay Lucas. But even that is a source of disagreement.
Rep. Russell Ott of St. Matthews said at the conclusion of the ad hoc committee’s final hearing this week it needs to “lead on this issue” rather than summarize the findings. “This can’t be the end,” he said.
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors published the following notice:
International Workshop on Detection, Classification, Localization, and Density Estimation of marine mammals using passive acoustics
Monday, June 04, 2018 – Friday, June 08, 2018CST
The 8th session of the International Workshop on Detection, Classification, Localization, and Density Estimation of marine mammals using passive acoustics (DCLDE Workshop) will be held from 4 to 8 June 2018, in Paris, FRANCE.
The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted the following notice on its website:
“The 8th session of the International Workshop on Detection, Classification, Localization, and Density Estimation of marine mammals using passive acoustics (DCLDE Workhsop) will be held from 4 to 8 June 2018, in Paris, FRANCE.
Scientific topics given by oral presentations and posters will be:
– detection of pulsed and harmonic sounds
– classification of diverse sounds including clicks, whisles and vocalizations
– localization of marine mammals
– estimation of population density
– acoustic propagation models
– innovative engineering including new materials and tools
– big data analytics
– study of sound generator of marine mammals
– underwater soundscapes: description of environmental acoustics and sounds from human activities
Joint International Association of Oil & Gas Producers/ International Association of Geophysical Contractors Report 576 focuses on the sound introduced into the marine environment as a result of marine seismic surveys. It examines potential interactions with marine life and how widely-adopted mitigation measures can reduce impact to marine life. This paper is free here.
