The Oil and Gas Journal reports that a number of US Senators have advised the President that “While we support your administration’s decision not to allow lease sales for offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, the proposed seismic testing poses a serious threat to our coastal economy, environment, and marine life,”
The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness has just released a detailed review of seismic operations in the United States, titled: “Seismic Exploration is Heavily and Effectively Regulated In The Gulf of Mexico”.
The study concludes that “ the United States Government has regulated oil and gas seismic in the Gulf of Mexico(“GOM”) for many years, first through the Minerals Management Service (“MMS”) and now through MMS’ successors the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (“BSEE”). This Government regulation has occurred primarily under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (“OCSLA”) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (“MMPA”}.
It should be noted that the US Government has repeatedly, consistently, and correctly stated that decades of GOM seismic, conducted under long-standing regulation, have not harmed any marine mammal population. “
The study is Seismic Review
Background material available through the Interactive Public Docket: The Regulation of Seismic Exploration in the United States
http://www.thecre.com/forum13/
See the Senate Letter Lautenberg 2
