NOAA MOVES TO BAN ACTIVITY OFF WASHINGTON

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to designate 2,605 sq nautical miles off Washington state's Olympic Peninsula as a marine sanctuary, thus banning petroleum operations. NOAA's proposal, published in the Sept. 20 Federal Register, would create the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary would extend from Koitlah Point north to the U.S.-Canadian boundary, west along the boundary to the 100 fathom isobath, south along the 100 fathom line to a point

Sept. 30, 1991

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to designate 2,605 sq nautical miles off Washington state's Olympic Peninsula as a marine sanctuary, thus banning petroleum operations.

NOAA's proposal, published in the Sept. 20 Federal Register, would create the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

The sanctuary would extend from Koitlah Point north to the U.S.-Canadian boundary, west along the boundary to the 100 fathom isobath, south along the 100 fathom line to a point due west of the mouth of the Copalis River, then east along 47 8' N. Lat.

NOAA said, "The sanctuary area is a highly productive, nearly pristine ocean and coastal environment that is important to the continued survival of several ecologically and commercially important species of fish, sea birds, and marine mammals.

"The diversity of habitats that makes up the sanctuary area supports a great variety of biological communities. This unusually large range of habitat types includes offshore islands and rocks, intertidal pools, erosional features such as rocky headland, seastacks, and arches, interspersed exposed beaches and protected bays, protected inlets at river mouths, submarine canyons and ridges, the continental shelf including a broad shallow plateau known as the "plains," and continental slope environments."

It said the area is on the migration route of the endangered California gray whale, contains the threatened northern sea lion, and has large colonies of sea birds.

NOAA could review the ban on petroleum operations after 2000 and after environmental studies are completed on the potential effects of oil and gas activities on sanctuary resources and qualities.

The Bush administration last year deferred oil exploration off the Washington coast until after 2000.

A 1988 law required NOAA to consider establishing a marine sanctuary in the area. Hearings on NOAA's proposal will be conducted Nov. 6-14 at sites in Washington state and Nov. 20 in Washington, D.C.