PRESS RELEASE
Date: June 5, 2017
From: Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast (BAPAC)
Subject: Political Decision on Oil Exploration In Atlantic Endangers Coastal Economies
Contact: Frank Knapp, President/CEO of BAPAC, 803-497-3204 (w), 803-600-6874 (c), fknapp@protectingtheatlanticcoast.org
Political Decision on Atlantic Oil Exploration Endangers Coastal Economies
Columbia, SC—On January 6th of this year, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) denied permits for seismic testing in the Atlantic. This oil exploration technology is outdated and is extremely harmful to marine life and thus coastal economies. Those denials have now been set aside by the Trump Administration.
Today the National Marine Fisheries Services at NOAA has released proposed areas for seismic testing. These Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) start what the Administration hopes is a quick process that, by Presidential instruction, will result in exploration of parts of the Atlantic for oil.
The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast (BAPAC) opposes both offshore drilling and exploration for oil on the Eastern seaboard. The over 41,000 business and 500,000 commercial fishing families supporting BAPAC are joined by 125 local Atlantic Coast governments that have passed resolutions in opposition.
BAPAC specifically opposes seismic testing for the damage it will cause to the vibrant local economies of tourism, commercial fishing and recreation. Research has clearly shown that seismic testing injures and harms marine mammals and causes dramatic declines in commercial fish and invertebrate catches.
“The process isn’t safe for marine life nor local economies dependent on a healthy ocean,” said Frank Knapp Jr., President and CEO of BAPAC which has the support of over 41,000 businesses and 500,000 commercial fishing families. “Because there have been no changes on any of the reasons BOEM gave when the seismic permits were denied, continuing to process the permits now is a political decision in contradiction to the fact-based, scientific decision BOEM reached in January. We also believe that it stands in violation of legal administrative procedures.”
Today BAPAC sent a letter (below) to the acting director of BOEM that details how the decision to continue processing the permits is inconsistent with the agency’s stated mission. BAPAC will also provide comments and recommendations concerning the negative impact seismic testing will have on marine life as well as the financial losses small businesses will suffer.
Knapp pointed out that when President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, he said that he works for the people of Pittsburgh not Paris.
“Well, the President also works for the people of Charleston SC, Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, Miami Beach and every other community along the Atlantic Coast and not the Paris-based CGG Services that wants to attack our Atlantic with airgun blasting,” said Knapp. “He should put America’s Atlantic Coast first and not the profits of foreign seismic companies and their multi-national big oil clients,” said Knapp.
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June 5, 2017
Mr. Walter Cruickshank
Acting Director Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
U.S. Department of Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Director Cruickshank,
The National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) has released Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHA) for Atlantic seismic testing. A public comment period will follow to allow for concerns about the environmental impact of such testing on marine life.
The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast (BAPAC) was a participant in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) assessment process of the seismic testing permits for the Atlantic now being reconsidered by the agency. Members of the BAPAC Board of Directors met with you and other BOEM officials as well as sending two petitions with signatures representing thousands of BAPAC supporters to President Obama regarding the proposed permits. BAPAC also filed a motion to intervene in the subsequent appeals of the denied seismic permits.
BAPAC is concerned about the impact seismic testing in the Atlantic will have on the tourism, commercial fishing and recreational industry along the Eastern seaboard. In that our concerns and recommendations regarding this issue straddle both environmental and business impacts, the latter which might be challenged for inclusion in the comments on the IHAs, we will submit these to you directly and to the NMFS.
We ask that this letter and all of our future comments and recommendations be included in the Administrative Record for both the decisions on the Atlantic seismic applications under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the National Environmental Protection Act analysis in support of the permitting decisions.
BOEM’s mission is to “promote energy independence, environmental protection and economic development through responsible management of these offshore resources based on the best available science.”
According to published BOEM documents, BOEM denied the seismic permits because:
- The Atlantic Program Area was not offered for leasing considerations for the next five years.
- The “potential risks of those survey’s acoustic pulse impacts on marine life” given that the Mid and South Atlantic were not included in the existing outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
- The “possibility that seismic survey information would not be used, if the Atlantic is not offered for future oil and gas leasing.
- The “acquired data may become outdated if leasing is far in the future”.
- The “probable development of lower impact survey technology before future geophysical and geological information would be needed.”
There had been no changes on any of the above points since BOEM denied the seismic permits on January 6, 2017. Therefore BAPAC’s believes that the remanding of the denied Atlantic seismic petitions back to BOEM for further processing was a political decision that was not consistent with the agency’s mission and certainly not based on the best available science.
First, BOEM denied the seismic permits in January of this year irrespective of the issue of “energy independence”. Since then “energy independence” has taken on even less importance with the current Administration.
Recently the Trump Administration’s proposed budget advocated raising federal revenue by selling off half of the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve which was created in 1975 in a national energy security effort. In defending the proposed oil sell-off from the Reserve, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney pointed out that domestic oil production is up and the U.S. is importing less oil.
Mr. Mulvaney is quoted in the press saying, “We think it’s the responsible thing to do.” Mr. Mulvaney continued saying, “I don’t need to take this much of your money to bury it in the ground out in West Texas someplace for domestic security and national security reasons when we have domestic supplies like we do.”
It must be concluded that promoting energy independence cannot be the reason for the remand of the seismic permits.
Second, BOEM denied the seismic permits in January of this year after receiving considerable information about the issue of “economic development”. This information overwhelming demonstrated that seismic testing was viewed by Atlantic Coast local governments and businesses to be a threat to their economic development that centers on tourism, commercial fishing and recreation. Almost all of the 125 Atlantic Coast local governments that have passed resolutions against offshore drilling also included opposition to seismic testing.
BAPAC representatives met with BOEM officials in November 2016 to ask for the seismic permits to be denied because the testing itself would harm commercial fishing, seafood markets and restaurants. At that time BAPAC had the support of over 12,000 (now over 41,000) businesses and 500,000 commercial fishing families.
We believe that BOEM’s subsequent decision to deny seismic permits was a responsible management decision that did promote economic development of the Atlantic Coast. Thus the remand of the permits cannot be due to promoting economic development.
Third, BOEM’s denial of the seismic permits in January of this year was consistent with its mission of “environmental protection”. Two of BOEM’s stated reasons for the permit denials promoted this objective:
- The “potential risks of those survey’s acoustic pulse impacts on marine life” given that the Mid and South Atlantic were not included in the existing outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
- The “probable development of lower impact survey technology before future geophysical and geological information would be needed.”
Protecting the environment was an obvious consideration in the seismic permits denial thus not possibly being the reason for the remand.
The only conclusion that can be reached about the reason for the remand is that it was a political decision. It was an order with the clear intent to instruct BOEM to approve the seismic permits in contradiction to the fact-based, scientific decision the agency reached in January.
While BAPAC objects to the remand and maintains that it stands in violation of legal administrative procedures, we will be submitting our comments and recommendations to both BOEM and NMFS.
Respectfully,
Frank Knapp Jr.
President & CEO