Trump Administration seeking seismic air gun surveys for Atlantic drilling
http://oilpro.com/post/31502/trump-administration-seeking-seismic-air-gun-surveys-atlantic-dri6/6/2017
The Trump administration is seeking permission to use seismic air guns to find oil and gas formations deep underneath the Atlantic Ocean floor. The use of such technology would be a reversal from the Obama administration. Environmental groups and some East Coast lawmakers object to the practice.
The National Marine Fisheries Service said Monday it is seeking permits under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for five companies to utilize air guns for seismic surveys in the mid-Atlantic.
"The testing would take place over a huge area ranging from the Delaware Bay, south to Cape Canaveral in Florida," NPR's Jeff Brady reports. "Ships would crisscross the ocean shooting loud bursts of sound underwater to map the geology."
Environmental groups worry that the air guns are so loud they can injure endangered whales and other marine mammals and potentially cause herd animals to be separated. Many East Coast lawmakers also oppose the surveys, complaining that air-gun noise can injure marine life and cause major damage to vital commercial fishing and tourism industries.
The oil and gas industry hopes that the survey data will point to new potential drilling sites. As The Associated Press reports, "no surveys have been conducted in the region for at least 30 years."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April designed to expand drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, part of his campaign promise to free up the nation's energy reserves in an effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil....
