Atlantic Seismic Tests for Oil: Marine Animals at Risk?
U.S. environmental review paves the way for first air-gun surveys in 26 years off the East Coast.
Mar 3, 2014 9:15 AM ET
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The Obama administration has paved the way for the first seismic oil and gas exploration in 26 years off the U.S. Atlantic coast, with an environmental review that concludes the air-gun blasts will have “moderate” impacts on marine mammals and sea turtles.
The final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), outlines measures for minimizing the impact on wildlife that are especially sensitive to the intense sound impulses used to prospect for energy resources beneath the seafloor. (See related, “Study: Planning Can Protect Whales in Seismic Surveys.”)
