Obama opens East Coast to oil search

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: The Associated Press

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Obama administration has approved the use of sonic cannons to explore for oil and gas off the Eastern Shore.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Friday formally approved guidelines for using air cannons in the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Delaware.

Energy companies could buy new oil and gas leases and begin drilling in 2018 if they find profitable reserves.

The guidelines are meant to protect endangered whales and other creatures from the loud noises and increased vessel traffic, but the government's environmental impact study estimates that more than 138,000 sea creatures could be harmed.

Read more: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=5qTaYHfq

[geek tragedy]

1. .

horrible decision.

[Auggie]

2. +1,000,000

[NYC_SKP]

56. Actually, states have to give permission before any actually drilling can take place.

It's amazing what people don't know about how these things work.

Good or bad, this isn't drilling, it's just using technology to identify where resources exist.

Not that I support it, we need to get the hell off fossil fuel ASAP, and this doesn't help us get there.

[Cal33]

22. I agree with you. Is Obama still appeasing the Conservatives? They will gladly

help to poison our atmosphere while making huge profits, and also continue to spit
in his face. They probably have noticed that the more they put him down, the more
he is likely to appease them. Oh, well, I give up!

[geek tragedy]

23. typically he does a relatively minor shitty thing on the

environment while doing a pretty good major thing on the environment on the same day.

I think this is pairs with the Pebble Mine EPA announcement.

[theHandpuppet]

31. So do you consider this "relatively minor"?

How so?

[geek tragedy]

32. Compared to Pebble Mine, it is fairly minor.

Still repulsive, but the scale and permanence of harm is of a lower scale.

[theHandpuppet]

41. I guess you and I will just have to disagree on this.

Strongly disagree.

[geek tragedy]

42. It's not that this is defensible, it's just that Pebble Mine is a HUGE deal. nt

[zeemike]

47. You mean it could have been worse than Deep Water Horizon?

I can't for the life of me figure out how.
But one is mining and the other oil, and oil is king.

[Mojorabbit]

50. This is also huge. It is a major piss poor decision

that will affect wildlife and livelihoods once the certain to happen spill occurs.

[geek tragedy]

51. There's a long way between sonic cannons

and oil drilling. Long way.

Pebble Mine was a clear and present danger, not a possible catastrophe but a very real and imminent one.

Again, don't take any of this as a defense of this decision, just that Pebble Mine is just that scary.

[Cal33]

34. Does he hope to make the Conservatives less angry at him in this way? Fat hopes! They

are continuing in their attempts to destroy him and the Democratic Party -- with impeachment,
no less.

Obama hasn't the faintest idea of how to deal with sociopaths. Why doesn't he consult with
some prominent mental health professionals who have a great deal of expertise on sociopaths?
He might learn something.

[geek tragedy]

35. Don't have an explanation, just an observation nt

[joshcryer]

33. He's just keeping his campaign promise.

[SamKnause]

3. Drill baby drill.

Left or right.

Big energy always wins !!!!

[theHandpuppet]

4. Was there ever any doubt?

[Divernan]

5. Great for 1 percent & stock market;crap for environment and Mother Earth.

When we have vast options of developing wind and solar power, why yet MORE oil and gas?
Could it be, oh, I don't know, just maybe qui-pro-post-elective-office-quo. Please someone, anyone, provide another possible explanation.

The sonic cannons are towed behind boats and emit strong pulses of sound every 10 seconds or so, reverberating beneath the sea floor and bouncing back to the surface, where they are measured by hydrophones. Computers then translate the data into high resolution, three-dimensional images.

The sonic cannons can be fired consistently for weeks or months depending on the project, and pose real dangers for whales, fish and sea turtles that also use sound to communicate across hundreds of miles. In an environmental impact study of the project, the U.S. government estimates that more than 138,000 sea creatures could be harmed.

Of foremost concern are endangered species like the north Atlantic right whale, with a total population of about 500. The whales use the seas off of northern Florida and southern Georgia to give birth to their calves before their migration north. Since the cetaceans are so scarce, any impact from this intense noise pollution on feeding or communications could have long-term effects, Scott Kraus, a right whale expert at the John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory in Boston, said.

"No one has been allowed to test anything like this on right whales," Kraus said of the seismic cannons. &quot The Obama administration) has authorized a giant experiment on right whales that this country would never allow researchers to do."

___

[ladjf]

6. Terrible decision by the Administration. nt

[NCarolinawoman]

7. Thanks for NOTHING, Obama!!!!

I'm sure the sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center on Topsail Island will greatly appreciate this. NOT! Staffed by veterinarians who work for free. Funded by donations and young people who spend their summers there on special internships. I have been there from the beginning as a volunteer.

Lovely waters off the NC coast and our stupid Republican governor wants to drill off of there.
Governor McStupid Will just love this!! How did New England escape?

http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/

[KoKo]

8. But...but...the Republicans forced him to do this!

He can't do anything...because we didn't elect more and better Democrats. It's our fault along with the evil Repugs. If McCain or Romney had been elected this would have happened sooner and we should be proud that our Democratic President held out so long against drilling off our coasts. We should look to Hillary to stop this once she is elected.

Spread the word.....Hillary will stand up to Big Oil and the Republicans! Forget Warren and Sanders...Hillary is the one with the power to stop this.... Donate now...and get out in your neighborhood. MORE AND BETTER DEMS and HILLARY 2016

of the deepest

[Enrique]

20. i'm very sorry

i feel like this is my fault for my lack of support for the Democrats. I only vote for them in every election at every level but I realize now that's not enough. From now on, after rent and food, my entire paycheck will go to Debbie Wasserman-Schulz.

[zeemike]

48. +1

I knew it was our fault all along...we are such POS...

[villager]

55. +1

I am "hoping" that today's Rockefeller Republicans -- currently known as "Democrats" -- can actually "change."

But I'm not holding my breath.

[Baclava]

9. WTF? "The sonic cannons are often fired continually for weeks or months"

Of foremost concern are endangered species like these whales, which give birth off the shores of northern Florida and southern Georgia before migrating north each year. Since the cetaceans are so scarce, any impact from this intense noise pollution on feeding or communications could have long-term effects, Scott Kraus, a right whale expert at the John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory in Boston, said.

"No one has been allowed to test anything like this on right whales," Kraus said of the seismic cannons. &quot The Obama administration) has authorized a giant experiment on right whales that this country would never allow researchers to do."

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/ap-newsbreak-obama-opens-east-coast-oil-search-24617695

[geardaddy]

10. FFS

[rocktivity]

11. They forgot New Jersey...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) —

A federal appeals court on Monday cleared the path for seismic testing off the coast of New Jersey that will blast the floor of the Atlantic Ocean with loud noises as part of a climate change research project.

The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected New Jersey's request to block the testing off Long Beach Island, which aims to use acoustic research to examine sediment dating back tens of millions of years. The barrier island stretches along the central New Jersey coast for about 18 miles.

Environmentalists, fishing groups and some elected officials oppose the work, saying it could harm or kill marine life including dolphins, turtles and whales. But the groups planning the research say they will do everything possible to minimize disruptions to marine life, including stopping the project when animals are seen nearby...

Climate change starts at the bottom of the ocean, and if they happen to come across any potential petroleum reserves, goody goody!


rocktivity

[Cal33]

25. I'm sure you've read of dolphins and whales rushing themselves out of the ocean

to lie helplessly and die slowly on land. They commit mass suicide because
they are being driven crazy by the noise of the experiments we are carrying
out at sea. We create havoc not only to our fellow-men, we also do the
same thing to animals. Human beings! What lovely creatures!!!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. What I really want to say --

right now would get me kicked off this site, so I will just be satisfied with a series of smilies:

[theHandpuppet]

13. I'm hearin' ya.

I'm sure a lot of others are, too.

[Duppers]

15. same here!

[Hugabear]

21. A few more

[zeemike]

49. Might as well add mine.

[QC]

14. Hopetastic!!! n/t

[Dopers_Greed]

16. Recipe for disaster

Imagine a BP-level oil spill + Sandy-level superstorm combo.

It's only a matter of time before these happen. Let's hope they aren't co-currently.

[Cal33]

36. And a large majority of the people are blithely unaware of what's going. Yes! We are

facing disaster in more ways than one. More bi-partisanship with the Conservatives, anyone?

[proverbialwisdom]

17. "The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management disclosed its final approval first to The AP..."

Expect lawsuits, as in the past from NRDC, as described here:

http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/sounds-and-cetaceans-quieting-noisy-underwater-world

It's not "OBAMA" "OBAMA ADMINISTRATION" - it's specific individuals within US BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT. Watch for pushback from environmental groups and support those actions as members of the public.

Never surrender the power of the public outcry to alter policy. IMO, President Obama counts on it.

[Octafish]

18. Awesome!

Big Oil. What's not to like.

[KamaAina]

19. That's check

in 11-dimensional chess.

[proverbialwisdom]

24. Look here. Lots of wind energy and other renewable energy policy tweets.

I don't imagine lawsuits from environmental groups blocking or slowing down these announcements.

https://twitter.com/search?q=Bureau%20of%20Ocean%20Energy%20Management&src=typd

Andrea Sreiber ‏@Suomigirl987 Jul 12
Tell the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to prioritize offshore wind power off New York's Coast http://act.oceana.org/letter/NY_wind_BOEM/?akid=3279.913403.rECl0X&rd=1&t=2 …

Byron_Johnson ‏@Byron_Johnson Jul 2
Feds to auction Maryland offshore wind property - The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has scheduled an ... http://ow.ly/2JsvRH

OSU News ‏@oregonstatenews Jun 20
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management awards research lease to OSU to test the prospects for utility-scale wave energy: http://bit.ly/1pQ9dtB

Van Ness Feldman LLP ‏@VanNessFeldman Jun 19
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Announces Proposed Sale Notice for Nation's Largest Offshore Wind Energy Area http://www.vnf.com/2981 #Wind

Energy Technology ‏@Energy_Tech Jun 18
US BOEM proposes sale of wind energy area offshore Massachusetts: The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BO... http://bit.ly/1r5XQv7

[Divernan]

26. Oceana Says 730,000 jobs in blast zone at risk

http://oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-releases/obama-admin-clears-way-for-dynamite-like-blasts-to-search-for-oil-gas-off-east-coast-igno?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=seismic

The use of seismic airguns is the first step to expanding dirty and dangerous offshore drilling to the Atlantic Ocean, bringing us one step closer to another disaster like the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. During this process, our government will jeopardize the health of large numbers of dolphins and whales as well as commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism and coastal recreation – putting more than 730,000 jobs in the blast zone at risk.

According to the government’s own estimates, these dynamite-like blasts could injure and possibly kill up to 138,200 marine mammals, while disrupting the necessary activities of millions more. Impacts to marine mammals could include everything from temporary or permanent hearing loss, to disruption of vital behaviors like communicating, feeding, mating, calving and migrating, and masking of biologically important sounds.

The Obama administration has apparently learned nothing from the destruction that similar testing has caused off the coasts of Namibia, Australia and Madagascar, which resulted in declines in tuna catch, decreased productivity of the scallop fishery and melon-headed whales being scared into a shallow lagoon where they later died. They seem to be ignoring the voices of concern and opposition from more than 50 Members of Congress, over 100 scientists, 16 coastal towns, 78 local elected officials, 163 conservation and animal welfare organizations, and commercial and recreational fishing groups.

Seismic airguns create one of the loudest manmade sounds in the ocean, each 100,000 times more intense than what one would experience if standing near a jet engine. These dynamite-like blasts will occur every 10 seconds, for days to weeks at a time. They are loud enough to kill small organisms like fish eggs and larvae at close ranges and can disrupt the behavior of large animals like whales and dolphins from up to 100 miles away.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/18/1314891/-WTF-Obama-opens-East-Coast-to-oil-search

Impacts include temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, and even beach strandings and death. For whales and dolphins, which rely on their hearing to find food, communicate, and reproduce, being able to hear is a life or death matter.

Airgun blasts kill fish eggs and larvae and scare away fish from important habitats. Following seismic surveys catch rates of cod and haddock declined by 40 to 80 percent for thousands of miles.

[KoKo]

30. Recommend Read!

[JustAnotherGen]

27. Terrible decision

[randys1]

28. ///

[Cal33]

37. Excellent! I never knew Lyndon Johnson had said that!

[randys1]

38. Talk about seeing into the future...with that quote, eh

[Faux pas]

29. I've hung with Obama for a lone time

this might be the end of my defense of him. Disgusting

[Cal33]

39. On the other hand, I am always willing to call a spade a spade -- whether it's for or against

anyone doesn't come into consideration -- at least in my own mind. I may decide to keep
quiet, if necessary.

[randys1]

40. It is not about hanging in or defending for me, it is about the certain knowledge of the alternative

PLUS this is the Obama I kinda figured i was electing, both times and the Obama I worked for, the 2nd time.

You see, there is tons to criticize him about FROM THE LEFT, almost nothing a rightwinger can say negative about him without being a hypocrite.

The reason you and I and others have so much to criticize is we are liberals that have NOT been poisoned by the inevitable poison any contender in DC must be poisoned by, money.

And anyone who gets to the level he is at, it wont matter what great ideas they had going in, they must modify them for money reasons.

Warren, Sanders, you name it, they will ALL be subject to this.

Obama is not a liberal as far as I am concerned but he is still one hundred and ninety three million times better than any or all republicans combined.

[Cal33]

43. Oh, I'd vote for Obama again (if he were eligible) or Hillary over any Conservative -- that's for

sure. As for the question of money being an influence in a president's making political
decisions, Yes, it certainly is necessary. This is something that can't be helped. The
question is how far that particular president would be willing to go. I don't think a
Warren or Sanders or Grayson would go too far.

For some time I've come to the conclusion that Obama is slightly right of center (from
my point of view, anyway). The three above are to the left of center. I think the present
trend would stop and shift somewhat to the left if someone like the three above should
become the next president.

I don't think I would want to work for him, though -- as long as I have another job
that pays a livable wage.

[hunter]

44. You drive to work?

Hell of a place to be.

By very good fortune my wife and I have avoided commuting since the mid-eighties. Previously we were Los Angeles, 20+ mile and wasted hours commuters, and it sucked.

Now, walk or bicycle to work, no problem. I sit at home mostly. We can see my wife's work from our bedroom window. So fortunate, I confess. We were looking for that lifestyle and we got lucky.

Sadly our kids' live in places where the local housing is too dangerous or too expensive. So they commute.

[Marthe48]

45. If Congress has anything to do with this,

it would be a fantastic time NOT TO ACT.

I am sick with disappointment, especially after reading the link. It'll map marine habitats- I can read the headlines now--"the sonic testing mapped habitat for this species, unfortunately, it went extinct during the mapping process."

[blkmusclmachine]

46. Obama's just doing what he wants to do, despite his campaign LIES

And a Friday news dump, to boot. Shameful this is the best we can get in today's Democratic Party. Left-over policy rejects from the GOP. YAY, "Change" ...

[magical thyme]

52. so they think they'll get 4.72 billion barrels of oil from this

and the US uses something like 20 million barrels/day.
http://maps.unomaha.edu/peterson/funda/sidebar/oilconsumption.html

So we're going to risk destroying the entire east coast from Florida to Maine. For 236 days worth of oil.

Oh wait, and they'll also get 37.51 trillion cubic ft of nat gas, and the US uses over 24 trillion feet per year. http://www.worldwatch.org/global-natural-gas-consumption-regains-momentum-0

So we'll get enough natural gas for over 18 months!!!!!

[Fearless]

53. PROTECT ENDANGERED WHALES?!?

Protect them by NOT FUCKING DRILLING!

[HooptieWagon]

54. It's just the warm-up act...

... wait till he pushes TPP thru Congress on a fast track. Thats the main event.

I guess the second term means hes dropped all pretense of "hope and change". Its all-out prostituting to corporate interests, now.

[Sunlei]

57. what will be even worse for east coast is Russia said they will 'assist' Cuba with oil wells.