I spent last week at an Acoustics Society conference in Rhode Island. The field of acoustics is pretty broad so some 1100 professionals from fields as diverse as biomedical imaging and speech and language processing all convened on the 5th…
Summary of Atlantic Geological and Geophysical Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Shortcomings: The PEIS should be reevaluated in the context of the most up-to-date NOAA Acoustic Guidelines. These guidelines have just recently been reviewed by the public and stakeholders whose…
This week Ker Than from National Geographic asked us for a critique on recommendations that came out of a study on the impacts of seismic surveys on Gray whales. The research was conducted by an “A Team” of scientists pulled…
Norway’s state owned petroleum company Statoil is installing “world’s biggest offshore machine” in the North Sea. It is a seafloor mounted compressor designed to pressurize low yielding oil and gas deposits to wring out more product. The premise of deploying…
We have just submitted our comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the “Atlantic Geological and Geophysical Activities.” The proposals reviewed in the DEIS are for the exploration and mapping of the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf for oil…
While it is easier to evaluate specific impacts of a stimulus on specific animals, we know that nature is not just a catalog of individual species; rather it is a fabric of interdependent organisms living in interconnected physical habitats. This…
A few weeks back we asked you all to sign on to a petition addressed to NOAA chief Dr. Jane Lubchenko expressing concerns about the rampant expansion of Arctic oil and gas exploration and production (E&P). Thanks to your participation…
If you have been anywhere within earshot of the media recently you may have noticed that the Oilmen are on a bit of a rampage. Any sustainable energy program, environmental regulation, or legal challenge that does not promote their agenda…
I’ve just finished reviewing a 1600 page “Draft Environmental Impact Statement” (DEIS) issued for public comments about the five year plan for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. The objective of the “draft” is to provide US citizens the…
Today the National Ocean Council released their Draft Implementation Plan for a National Ocean Policy. This is fabulous news because the US has never had a comprehensive ocean management plan, we have just been tangled in a web of agencies…