The Trump Administration is expediting permits for five companies to conduct seismic airgun surveys across most of the mid- and south Atlantic, as the first step in oil and gas exploration. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is considering whether to grant “Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHA)” to these companies. Translation? Each IHA would allow a company to harass, injure or kill approximately 138,000 whales, dolphins and other sea life during its survey. Now, multiply that by five.
This is an unprecedented assault on ocean life, on a massive scale.
Please take action by Thursday, July 6. Just click here to add your name to the petition asking NMFS to deny the Incidental Harassment Authorizations.
Or take a few minutes to send your own message to NMFS, saying you oppose approving the IHAs because:
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They will introduce an unprecedented amount of seismic noise into the mid- and south Atlantic.
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The sum of 5 pending seismic applications equals over 90,000 miles of seismic lines which will collectively take over 900 days to complete — or roughly 2.5 years of airgun explosions every 10-15 seconds, 24 hours per day.
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The sound is known to travel over thousands of miles from the source, causing marine mammals to leave the area, resulting in disruption to their communication, feeding, mating and migration behaviors.
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There is insufficient research to understand the long term impact of this concentration of seismic airgun noise on marine mammals in an area this size, over this extensive time frame.
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The CUMULATIVE impact of all seismic surveys needs to be considered before any single IHA is allowed.
Address your comments to: Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. Physical comments should be mailed to 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and electronic comments should be sent to ITP.Laws@noaa.gov
Note: Please limit your comments to the impact of seismic testing on marine life. Comments for or against offshore drilling will NOT be considered and may invalidate your submission.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Seismic airguns blast every 10-15 seconds, 24 hrs/day for months
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Explosive sounds travel thousands of miles and can severely impact marine mammals, like whales, that rely heavily on their sense of sound to navigate, feed and communicate
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Seismic exploration has been attributed to 40%-80% declines in local fish catches
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Under water, there is NO escaping the sound.
Here are 8 things you need to know about the Trump Administration plans to greenlight oil exploration off the east coast.
On Facebook, find and like the local nonpartisan grassroots group SODA-Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic for information and updates on the fight to keep Big Oil out of the Atlantic Ocean.
