The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service requests nominations to fill vacancies in two independent regional Scientific Review Groups to provide advice on a range of marine mammal science and management issues. NMFS seeks nominations for the the Atlantic and Pacific SRGs. Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in the areas specified below, be able to conduct thorough scientific reviews of marine mammal science, and be able to fulfill the necessary time commitments associated with a thorough review of documents and attendance at one annual meeting.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has published its Chukchi Sea Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 In the Chukchi Sea, Alaska Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. This document includes extensive discussion of the effects of anthropogenic sound, including oil and gas seismic, on fish and marine mammals. The discussion in this document may indicate BOEM’s current thinking on this issue.
For fish, the SEIS relies on Popper, et al., 2014, Sound Exposure Guidelines for Fishes and Sea Turtles: A Technical Report prepared by ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee S3/SC1 and registered with ANSI (2014); publication ASA S3/SC1.4 TR-2014; published by the Acoustical Society of America in collaboration with Springer. On page 226 of the SEIS, BOEM states:
President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2016 (FY 2016) budget includes a request of $170.9 million to fund the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
The President’s budget request focuses on program responsibilities, such as the Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Program, oil and gas exploration and development plans, offshore renewable energy and environmental analysis and studies. The request includes an increase of $1.1 million over the FY 2015 enacted level, allowing the bureau to fund important initiatives to further develop the risk management program, add personnel needed to support an increase in OCS activity and build on the bureau’s collaborative efforts in ecosystem science.
The U.S Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requests comment on a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for oil and gas leases in the Central and Eastern planning areas of the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM continues to rely on current mitigation measures to protect marine mammals. For example, the DSEIS states:
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has published a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for proposed oil and gas Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 226 in the Gulf of Mexico (CPA 241/247/EPA 226 Draft Supplemental EIS).
Proposed CPA Lease Sale 241 and EPA Lease Sale 226 are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016, and proposed CPA Lease Sale 247 is tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2017. The CPA 241/247/ EPA 226 Draft Supplemental EIS updates the environmental and socioeconomic analyses in previous EISs.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has published a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the threatened Arctic subspecies (Phoca hispida hispida) of the ringed seal (Phoca hispida) under the U.S. Endangered Species. In this publication NMFS announced that the public comment period would close on March 9, 2015.
Since then, NMFS has extended the comment period through March 31, 2015, to provide additional time for the public to submit comments. NMFS has also announced the specific date and location for a public hearing on the proposal in Bethel, AK, on February 26, 2015, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public hearing will be held at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, 420 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, Bethel, AK 99559.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to inform the decisions that will be taken during BOEM’s preparation and implementation of its 2017–2022 offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
BOEM will hold a series of public meetings around the country on this EIS scoping, beginning with Washington, DC, on February 9, 2015; Embassy Suites, Washington DC Convention Center, 900 10th Street NW, Washington, DC; 2:00–7:00 p.m.;
Comments on this EIS scoping should be submitted to BOEM by March 30, 2015.
Click here to read BOEM’s Federal Register notice of this scoping.
Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has authority to determine which offshore lands under U.S. control can be leased for oil and gas exploration and production. BOEM has published its “2017–2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program.”
This DPP includes eight planning areas—three in the Gulf of Mexico, two in the Atlantic, and three in Alaska—and nearly 80% of estimated undiscovered technically available oil and gas resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The DPP schedules 14 potential lease sales in those areas for the 2017–2022 period in eight program areas – 10 sales in the Gulf of Mexico, one in the Atlantic (which would cover portions of two planning areas) and three off the coast of Alaska.
By Mark Drajem and Jim Snyder
The U.S. Interior Department will lay a framework as soon as Tuesday for oil exploration in the nation’s coastal waters in a five-year plan that is expected to withdraw areas off Alaska while possibly adding parts of the Atlantic.
Republican Lisa Murkowski said the head of the offshore energy office told her the agency will place areas of the energy-rich U.S. Arctic off limits. Those areas had been previously deferred from new leasing. Current leases in the Arctic, such as those held by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, won’t be affected.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore training activities conducted in Virginia and North Carolina, from June 2015 through June 2020. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS requests comments on its proposal to issue regulations and a five-year Letter of Authorization to the Navy to incidentally harass marine mammals. Comments and information must be received by NMFS no later than February 19, 2015.
Click here to read more about this proposed Navy LOA.
