NOAA issues draft study for Arctic Sea oil drilling

A bearded seal pup on the Arctic ice. PHOTO COURTESY NOAA.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal officials say plans to drill for oil in the off the coast of Alaska will cause only "minor to moderate" impacts to rare bowhead and beluga whales — despite the potential for another  spill on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and no good way to clean it up.

The a on the drilling plan just before Christmas, outlining the potential impacts, as well as mitigation measures that could be implemented to minimize effects on the marine environment. The draft EIS is open for public comment through Feb. 13. All the documents for the project are .

The mitigation measures include closures during whale migration and feeding and during traditional whale and seal hunts. If adopted, these measures could reduce the effects on marine mammals and ensure they remain available to the communities that depend on them for their diets and cultural traditions, according to the draft EIS. The executive summary is .

"We know how important marine mammals are to healthy Arctic ecosystems and the people who depend on them for food and cultural traditions," said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for . "We want to hear comments on these proposed alternatives to lessen any effects of oil and gas exploration in the Arctic."

The conservation community has already voiced its outspoken opposition to Arctic drilling, charging that the federal government doesn't have enough background science on the Arctic Ocean ecosystems to make a good drilling decision.

Additional criticism has been aimed at inadequate response plans for possible spills or leaks in the harsh environment. There is nothing to suggest that either the oil companies or the Coast Guard have the capability to clean up any significant oil spill in the region.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to allow the incidental and unintentional take of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens if their actions will have only a negligible effect on the species and will not reduce the availability of the mammals to the Alaska Natives who rely on them.

"We know how important marine mammals are to healthy Arctic ecosystems and the people who depend on them for food and cultural traditions," said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for . "We want to hear comments on these proposed alternatives to lessen any effects of oil and gas exploration in the Arctic."

NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will travel to eight North Slope communities to hold public hearings in late January and February on the draft environmental impact statement. The times and building locations of the public hearings in Barrow, Kaktovik, Kivalina, Kotzebue, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright will be announced early in 2012 in the Federal Register and through a public notice.

After receiving public comments during the 45-day comment period and from the public hearings, NOAA will finalize the environmental impact statement in 2012. It will then be used to guide decisions by BOEM about permitting of oil and gas exploration and by NOAA about incidental take authorizations that allow unintentional take of small numbers of marine mammals.

To comment on the draft EIS, the public can submit written comments via mail, fax, or email by Mon., Feb. 13.

Comments may be mailed to:

James H. Lecky
Director, Office of Protected Resources
NOAA / NMFS
1315 East West Highway, Room 13704
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Comments may also be faxed 301-713-0376, or emailed to arcticeis.comments@noaa.gov

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Filed under: endangered species, energy, Environment, federal government, Marine biology, oil drilling, Summit County news Tagged: | Arctic oil drilling, Beluga whales, bowhead whales, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Chukchi Sea, Deepwater horizon oil spill, Environment, Marine Mammal Protection Act, <a href="http://summitcountyvoice.

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