The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the availability of a Record of Decision for the 2017 Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for proposed geological and geophysical activities in the Gulf of Mexico (the announcement was later published on Dec. 4).
The Record of Decision allows geological and geophysical activities to continue to be permitted and authorized, subject to mitigation measures, monitoring, reporting, survey protocols, and guidance. BOEM notes that the non-airgun, high-resolution geophysical protocol will be reserved, considered, and applied at the site-specific stage on an as-needed basis to minimize the potential for injury to marine mammals and sea turtles.
BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region Director Mike Celata said that geological and geophysical surveys “help us make informed decisions for BOEM’s oil and gas, renewable energy and marine minerals programs,” adding that “[t]he mitigation measures chosen at this stage will help minimize the impacts of G&G activities on marine resources in the Gulf and adjacent state waters.”
