Ocean Zoning Discussion Forum

CEQ  has  issued its recommendations to MMS  for ways to imporove  its NEPA procedues as a result of the recent oil spill. In the comments to CRE    a number of our readers conclude  that MMS  has acted on incomplete information.

Accordingly CRE  is initiatiing a review of the CEQ  report .  The vechicle for the  review is the Ocean Zoning IPD .

Please  post your views on this matter by  clicking  on the comments tab on this post or in the alternative,  post  a detailed analysis with an  accompanying report by using the “Submit a post” capability to the right of this post.

CRE received a detailed response from an environmental attorney in response to Anadarko’s comments to CEQ. In particular Anadarko was concerned that CEQ was making recommendations before it  had spent sufficient time in gathering facts to define the problem.   The attached  comment submitted to CRE  from an environmental attorney supports the Anadarko conclusion. Read the attachment below.

On February 18, 2010, The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released four proposals to amend NEPA guidelines.  These proposals include:  (1) -revision of the use of categorical exceptions, (2) -revision of monitoring and mitigation procedures, (3)-consideration of Greenhouse Gases, and (4)-enhanced public tools for NEPA reporting.  The proposals to revise categorical exclusions and to require binding mitigation and monitoring requirements will cause substantial harm to commercial fishermen.  See the attachment below for greater detail.

CEQ’S NEPA Revision–Harm to Commercial Fishermen

What the NOC means for anglers

By Robert Montgomery
Special to ESPNOutdoors.com

This is a column from Robert Montgomery for ESPN Outdoors. As a Senior Writer for BASS Publications, Montgomery has written about conservation, environment, and access issues for more than two decades. It’s part of a series of articles on the issue.

The deal is done and a structure is in place that could lead to the closure of at least some recreational fisheries.

As reported recently by ESPNOutdoors.com, President Barack Obama used an executive order to implement “Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force,” released on July 19. That 96-page document is as notable for what it does not say as it is for what it does.

 NRDC

 In endangered baleen whales, they [seismic airguns]  have been shown to both disrupt and mask communication – substantially compromising the animals’ ability to forage, find mates, and engage in other vital behavior – on population-level scales.

 Given the significance of the potential impacts, uncertainties in the emerging science, and the difficulty of detecting demographic impacts in many marine species, MMS should be required to consider a worse-case scenario when evaluating the potential for adverse population-level effects. 

CRE

 NRDC SHOULD ACCEPT NOAA/NMFS’ REJECTION OF NRDC’S SEISMIC COMMENTS

The Council on Environmental Quality is reviewing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement’s (“BOE”NEPA practices and procedures that are relevant to Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing. The Natural Resources Defense Council submitted comments on CEQ’s review (“NRDC’s Comments”).

NRDC’s Comments argue, inter alia, that the oil and gas industry’s offshore use of seismic airguns poses significant risks to marine mammals and fisheries.  NRDC’s Comments further argue that these risks must be addressed through changes in NEPA procedures. NRDC’s requested changes include rules and legislation that require BOE to defer to NOAA on seismic issues.  The National Marine Fisheries Service is the NOAA entity most directly involved with seismic issues.

This is a column from Robert Montgomery for ESPN Outdoors. As a Senior Writer for BASS Publications, Montgomery has written about conservation, environment, and access issues for more than two decades. It’s part of a series of articles on the issue.

The deal is done and a structure is in place that could lead to the closure of at least some recreational fisheries.

As reported recently by ESPNOutdoors.com, President Barack Obama used an executive order to implement “Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force,” released on July 19. That 96-page document is as notable for what it does not say as it is for what it does.

What it does not say is that recreational angling is a national priority deserving special status because of its unique and considerable value economically, socially, and historically, as well as its contributions to conservation.

Instead, recreational fishing could be thrown into the mix right along with commercial fishing, oil drilling, wind farms and other uses that the National Ocean Council (NOC) and nine regional planning groups will consider as they plot out how public waters will be utilized.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that NOAA will re-open 26,388 square miles of Gulf of Mexico waters to commercial and recreational fishing on July 29, 2010. This amounts to a third of the overall area closed as a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout.

NOAA announced the reopening after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA  and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states.  NOAA’s press release explains, “Since mid-June, NOAA data have shown no oil in the area, and United States Coast Guard observers flying over the area in the last 30 days have also not observed any oil. Additionally, trajectory models show the area is at a low risk for future exposure to oil, and fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination.”

NOAA emphasized the critical role that science played in its decision to reopen this area.  Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said, “Following the best science for this re-opening provides important assurance to the American people that the seafood they buy is safe and protects the Gulf seafood brand and the many people who depend on it for their livelihoods.”