In response to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s final rule extending current regulations governing the incidental take of marine mammals during geophysical survey activity conducted in the Gulf of America, National Ocean Policy Coalition Managing Director Jack Belcher today issued the following statement:
“Today’s action by the National Marine Fisheries Service provides regulatory certainty and ensures continuation of a permitting framework essential to our nation’s economy and environment. By maintaining a regulatory pathway to review and approve Gulf of America energy exploration activities that help generate ~15 percent of the nation’s crude oil production and billions in revenue for conservation, restoration, storm protection, and the U.S. Treasury, NMFS is protecting critical contributions to our economic and environmental security.
We look forward to engaging NMFS on next steps as it considers the application for a new rulemaking to establish Gulf of America marine mammal incidental take regulations for an additional 5 years.”
Established in 2010, the National Ocean Policy Coalition is an organization of diverse interests representing sectors and entities that support tens of millions of jobs, contribute trillions of dollars to the U.S. economy, and seek to ensure ocean policies that best benefit the National interest, including protection of the commercial and recreational value of the oceans, marine-related natural resources, and terrestrial lands of the United States.