In December, when President Obama announced that he would cancel lease plans for offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean from 2012 – 2017, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. This was a major victory for both ocean protection and our efforts to put an end to offshore oil drilling, was it not?
Not exactly. CCAN remains troubled that the Department of the Interior (DOI) plans to proceed with plans to conduct seismic testing in the mid and south Atlantic, which is unnecessary and can be dangerous for marine life. That’s why last week, several members of our staff attended a public hearing about this proposal, delivering 5,000 comments submitted by supporters like you who DO NOT support any oil exploration in the Atlantic Ocean whatsoever. We made it clear that our members don’t support oil drilling, now or in the future. But what does seismic testing have to do with all of this, and why is the DOI taking comments? Find some answers below.
What is seismic testing?
Seismic testing is an exploration technique used by oil and gas companies to explore the ocean for oil and gas sediments. In order to measure these sediments, large ships fire high-intensity air guns deep into the ocean. These “air cannons” produce a high intensity, low frequency noise and are dragged behind boats for thousands of miles in a systematic procedure to map an entire area.
Why should I care?
Air cannons are designed to be extremely loud – reaching up to 270 decibels (for reference, a nuclear explosion can be about 300-310 decibels underwater) and have been recorded by scientists from locations over 1,800 miles away. While there are many natural ocean noises, the excessive noise generated by air cannons masks those natural sounds, which are used by marine animals to hunt, navigate, feed and find mates. The sound energy from these air cannons is potentially damaging to many species of marine life, including whales, dolphins and seals. Any sound over 180 decibels is believed to be harmful to marine life. With last week’s devastating news that dead baby dolphins are washing up on the Gulf shores by the dozens, it’s apparent that we need to do all we can to protect marine wildlife.
This is a lot of risk for very little reward. In total, the DOI estimates that some 3.82 billion barrels of oil may be undiscovered, but technically recoverable in the Atlantic. Even if ALL the potential oil in the Atlantic was extracted, it would only provide enough oil to supply the United States for about 191 days. Why risk the lives of our marine mammals for such a small amount of oil?
If it’s so bad, why are we doing it?
First of all, the American Petroleum Institute (lobbyists for Big Oil) supports seismic testing, so that’s a good place to start. Also, the DOI issued a “Findings of No Significant Impact” report for seismic testing, meaning the department has determined that this activity will not have any negative effects on marine life. The irony? The DOI also issued a similar “Findings of No Significant Impact” report for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which, as we all know too well, later led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
What can I do?
It’s not too late to take action! The DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement is collecting public comments about seismic testing in the Atlantic until the end of the month.
Comments are due by March 31st, should be labeled “2012
