The International Association of Geophysical Contractors launched a web site on Nov. 16 making a case for reforms in the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to remove bureaucratic barriers to federal oil and gas leasing along the Mid-Atlantic US Outer Continental Shelf.
The web site identifies specific MMPA flaws, including overlapping and burdensome regulations, lack of regulatory accountability, vague language, and exploitation by oil and gas development opponents, IAGC said.
“IAGC is disappointed by the extensive delays and hurdles our members face as a result of the MMPA’s outdated language and redundant, complicated review processes,” said IAGC Pres. Nikki Martin. “We are launching this new web site to draw attention to these issues and highlight the impact they are having on our members and the US energy industry overall.”
Last week marked the 1,200th day of government delay and inaction on Atlantic incidental take authorizations (ITA) for seismic surveys off the US East Coast, just one of the instances of extreme delays created by the MMPA, Martin noted.
In a December 2017 report, the US Government Accountability Office recommended that both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the US Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service clarify review dates for ITAs and how long the reviews take.
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Acting Director Walter D. Cruickshank told a House Natural Resources subcommittee in January that leaders from BOEM and NMFS had discussed ways to streamline offshore oil and gas geologic and geophysical permit application reviews for the previous 6 months (OGJ Online, Jan. 22, 2018).
“Steps must be taken to reduce bureaucratic delay and cut the burdensome regulatory red tape holding back the offshore energy exploration industry in the US,” Martin said. “In the time that our members have been waiting for MMPA authorizations, the country of Mexico has transformed its entire energy sector.”
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
