Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities. Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas. Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Volume I: Chapters 1-8.

摘要

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is issuing this Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to describe and evaluate the potential environmental impacts of geological and geophysical (G&G) survey activities in Federal waters of the Mid- and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and adjacent State waters. This Programmatic EIS examines G&G survey activities for three program areas (oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals) during the 2012-2020 time period. This Programmatic EIS evaluates impacts to Atlantic resources that could occur as a result of G&G activities and identifies mitigation and monitoring measures to avoid, reduce, or minimize impacts. Preparation of this Programmatic EIS will help ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other laws such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This Programmatic EIS was prepared because BOEM currently has no programmatic NEPA coverage for permitting G&G activities in Atlantic OCS waters. The BOEM has received nine permit requests for seismic airgun surveys in support of oil and gas exploration, and industry has expressed interest in expanding activities into Atlantic offshore waters. Given the scope of the proposed surveys and their potential impacts, BOEM has determined a programmatic EIS under NEPA is needed prior to permitting any new, large-scale G&G surveys. This Programmatic EIS establishes a framework for future NEPA evaluations of site-specific actions while identifying and analyzing mitigation measures for future programmatic use. The purpose of the proposed action is to gather state-of-the-practice data about the ocean bottom and subsurface. These data would provide information about the location and extent of oil and gas reserves, seafloor conditions for oil and gas or renewable energy installations, and marine minerals deposits off the U.S. Atlantic Coast. State-of-the-practice G&G data and information are required for business decisions in furtherance of prospecting for OCS oil and gas in an orderly manner, assessing sites for renewable energy facilities, or using marine mineral resources in the area. The G&G surveys acquired during the period when Atlantic oil and gas leasing took place in the 1970s and 1980s have been eclipsed by newer instrumentation and technology that make seismic data of that era inadequate for business decisions to lease and develop these OCS lands or to evaluate the environmental impacts of leasing and development.