Trump Regime Allows Seismic Blasting

North Atlantic Wright whale and her calf, credit S. Hanlan

Update:  Major aquariums along the east coast have expressed their opposition to five permits issued by the regime to allow seismic blasting in the search for more oil.  Scientists said that allowing more exploitation of an already stressed ecosystem was not a good idea.  The five aquariums include the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  They say the limitation on blasts imposed by NOAA when granting the permits are insufficient to protect vulnerable wildlife like the Wright whale. Seismic exploration has been shown to reduce singing in humpback whales, displace finback whales by hundreds of miles and disrupt activities vital to foraging and reproduction over vast ocean areas. Zooplankton declines by 64 percent within 4,000 feet of seismic blasts.  Zooplankton, the foundation of the ocean food chain declines by 64 percent within 4,000 feet of seismic blasts.  Noise in excess of a jet engine at 100 ft (>140dB) travel for hundreds of miles underwater.

The aquariums said they stand with 300 municipalities and 2,000 local officials that have expressed their disapproval of offshore drilling and exploration.  Every governor with the exception of those from Maine and Georgia are against the plan to exploit the Atlantic exclusive economic zone that extends 200 mile out from the US coastline.  A Democratic congressman from New Jersey will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January. Congressman Frank Pallone Jr said members from both sides of the divide will fight the "reckless decision" to allow seismic testing.
 
 {04/12/18} The regime in Washington will allow oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic coast using a technique known to harm marine wildlife, especially those mammals that use echo location for finding food and navigation.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has granted permits to five companies to use seismic air gun blasts while searching for oil and gas deposits offshore.  The permits allow "incidental" harassment of marine mammals during the survey work.  The federal government itself estimates that airgun blasts could harm thousands of marine mammals including the critically endangered North Atlantic wright whale of which only 440 individuals survive.  The blasts send seismic shock waves through the water that travel 2500 miles.  Blasts of high energy occur every 10-12 seconds for weeks or even months on end.  The sound reaches levels of 260 decibels, equivalent to a grenade blast that would rupture a human eardrum.

Scientists have warned against the extreme disruption caused by seismic surveys using air guns for a wide range of species from whales to zooplankton, the foundation of the ocean food chain.  Under the permit conditions, operators will have to watch for marine life while testing, and shut down operations if sensitive species are observed in the area, but only intentional harm is prohibited, perhaps making a distinction without a practical difference.  Under the previous government, drilling was not allowed within fifty miles of the coast.  That limit has been reduced to three.  Environmental groups vow to fight back against renewed efforts to exploit offshore resources in the Atlantic ocean given support by the current regime in Washington.  The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia  and New York have opposed offshore oil and gas development backed by popular and business support.