The Regulation of Seismic Exploration in the United States

The American Petroleum Institute, National Ocean Industries Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, U.S. Oil and Gas Association, American Exploration & Production Council, International Association of Drilling Contractors, International Association of Geophysical Contractors Petroleum Equipment and Services Association and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association filed comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s request for comments on the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2017-2022 published in the Federal Register on March 18, 2016.

Industry criticized several aspects of BOEM’s proposed 2017-2022 Program. Their comments included the following introductory paragraph:

The International Association of Geophysical Contractors posted the following article on the IAGC website:

“IMMA Focus Group at 4th International Marine Conservation Congress IMCC Saturday, July 30, 2016 – Thursday, August 04, 2016

– Focus group on integrating marine mammal behavioral monitoring techniques into the process for the identification of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs)

 Integrating marine mammal behavioral monitoring techniques into the process for the identification of Important Marine Mammal Areas

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador (YYT), Canada, Sunday July 29, Held in association with the 4th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC), July 30 – August 4, 2016

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to a request under the Marine Mammal Protection Act from Quintillion Subsea Operation, LLC, propose to authorize the incidental taking by harassment of small numbers of Pacific walruses from July 15–November 15, 2016.

The area specified for inclusion in the proposed authorization includes Federal waters of the northern Bering, Chukchi, and Southern Beaufort Seas, the marine waters of the State of Alaska, and coastal land adjacent to Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Wainwright, Barrow, and Oliktok Point. The applicant has requested this authorization for its planned cablelaying activities.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization to Quintillion Subsea Operations, LLC.  This IHA is issued pursuant to NMFS’ authority under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  It authorizes Quintillion to take, by harassment, small numbers of 12 species of marine mammals incidental to a subsea cablelaying operation in the state and federal waters of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, Alaska, during the openwater season of 2016. This authorization is effective from June 1, 2016 through October 31, 2016.

Click here to read more about this action.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed a rule under the Marine Mammal Protection Act that would establish a framework for authorizing the take of marine mammals incidental to NMFS’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center
research activities in the California Current and Pacific Northwest. The regulations would be valid from 2016 to 2021.

These proposed rules include the following requirements:

• Required monitoring of the sampling areas to detect the presence of
marine mammals before deployment of certain research gear.

• Required use of acoustic deterrent devices on surface trawl nets.

On May 19, 2016, the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about the US Department of the Interior’s proposed 2017-22 Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas program. The International Association of Geophysical Contractors reported the following testimony about Atlantic seismic:

“James H. Knapp, an earth, ocean, and environment professor at the University of South Carolina, who said he has been a vocal advocate for the past 8 years for gathering fresh Atlantic OCS seismic data. ‘More than 240,000 miles of 2D seismic data were acquired along the Atlantic OCS between the 1960s and 1980s,’ he testified. ‘Nothing new has been added since as other uses have grown there. I would challenge the assumption that no new data are necessary. The federal government is mandated to evaluate the OCS resource potential. If a lease sale is considered anytime in the future, we should see whether it’s even necessary.’

The U.S. National marine fisheries service has received an application from BlueCrest Alaska Operating, LLC for an Incidental Harassment Authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting an oil and gas production drilling program in lower Cook Inlet, AK, on State of Alaska Oil and Gas Lease 384403 under the program name of Cosmopolitan State during the 2016 open water season.

Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to BlueCrest to incidentally take, by Level B harassment
only, marine mammals during the specified activity.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration OAA is developing an agency-wide Ocean Noise Strategy. According to NOAA, this strategy seeks to ensure that NOAA is more comprehensively addressing noise impacts to aquatic species and their habitat over the next 10 years.

NOAA seeks comment on a document developed to support implementation of the Strategy: the NOAA Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap. According to NOAA: