Seismic Misstatements
This letter is in response to Oceana’s Sept. 29 letter to The Hill titled, “Consider all risks that come with new offshore drilling” and its claims about seismic surveys.
Over the recent months, there have been several allegations made by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) asserting that seismic surveys are destructive to marine life and threaten fishing and tourism. The Gulf of Mexico demonstrates that seismic survey activities, commercial and recreational fishing, tourism and marine life can and do coexist successfully. In fact, in the Aug. 22 edition of Science Notes, the government explained its decision to authorize geological and geophysical activities stating, “ To date, there has been no documented scientific evidence of noise from air guns used in geological and geophysical (G&G) seismic activities adversely affecting marine animal populations or coastal communities. This technology has been used for more than 30 years around the world. It is still used in U.S. waters off of the Gulf of Mexico with no known detrimental impact to marine animal populations or to commercial fishing.”
Despite this information, several organizations opposed to domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production continue to engage in an ongoing campaign, disseminating information that is not always accurate. Allegations against seismic surveys by these NGOs are unfounded and meant to stop future offshore oil and gas exploration and development.
Environmental stewardship is an industry value and priority. The industry shares care and concern for marine life and employs mitigation measures to protect marine life. For many years, industry has invested in independent research regarding potential effects of seismic surveys on marine animals, including fish and to foster new mitigation and monitoring technologies. That investment continues today.
Whether you support offshore oil and gas exploration or not, it is only fair that the discussion about seismic surveys doesn’t include misstatements and misrepresentations of the facts. We encourage the public to find out more about seismic surveys at IAGC.org and soundandmarinelife.org and then make their own judgment.
From Ken Wells, president, International Association of Geophysical Contractors, Houston
The Letter to the Editor can also be found at: http://thehill.com/opinion/letters/220026-ban-federal-fracking.