Tony and Susan Knowles, Jane Angvik, RDC, SB 21, oil taxes, alaska, governor, Photo by Dave Harbour ADN OP-Ed Scott Goldsmith, University of Alaska, ISER, oil taxes, SB 21, Photo by Dave Harbour, RDC by Former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles (NGP Photo with wife, Susan and Jane Angvik). Sen. Patrick Moynihan coined a memorable retort in a Senate debate when he said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts." Thanks to the economic research and analysis by Dr. Scott Goldsmith (NGP Photo), professor emeritus of economics at University of Alaska Anchorage, we can now look at real facts in the debate of whether Alaskans should support or reject the oil tax reform passed in 2013. (See Knowles' complete Op-Ed here. See our earlier report here.)

Cathy Giessel, Alaska Miners Association, Senator, Alaska, Photo by Dave Harbour The Alaska Miners Association will celebrate Alaska Mining Day and the 75th Anniversary of Alaska Miners Association this Friday, May 9th! Our readers who find themselves in Anchorage Friday, may join the AMA Anchorage branch at the Dena'ina Center, Second Floor, on the corner of 7th and G Streets in downtown Anchorage. Doors will open at 6:30, and the program will begin at 7:00 a.m. The program will feature Senator Cathy Giessel (NGP Photo-above), sponsor of SB1, an Act establishing every May 10 as Alaska Mining Day; JP Tangen, AMA Director Emeritus, on Mining Law of 1872; Ed Fogels, DNR Deantha Crockett, Alaska Miners, RDC, Photo by Dave Harbour Deputy Comm., on the future of Alaska's mining industry; and Dave Heatwole, with a look back at 75 years of Alaska Miners Association. Executive Director Deantha Crockett (NGP Photo) will unveil AMA's new logo. Register here. -dh

Dear Readers: Tomorrow is a deadline for commenting on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Atlantic Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Our readers should comment — as we do — on energy projects and programs anywhere, since we also need support from citizens everywhere on Arctic issues.

Comment QUICK LINKS: Consumer Energy Alliance or Energy Nation.

Also, as we have seen with the EPA, one decision in one part of the country can set precedent for how projects elsewhere are handled.

Below is the complete BOEM comment invitation and information page and here is the link.

One last note: this Administration is not above using due process to shackle opponents in subtle ways. We believe the Administration is not above holding OCS energy lease sales, then burdening participants with so many environmental rules and prohibitions that robust bidding and/or thorough and timely exploration for the resources is impossible. It is not above using every possible rationale for "preemptively" blocking development. Rules for the Atlantic Geological and Geophysical activities should be determined, in part, by the number and nature of comments received. -dh

Atlantic Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Activities Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)

BOEM is producing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate potential significant environmental effects of multiple geological and geophysical (G&G) activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The PEIS follows through on that direction as prescribed by the Conference Report for Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Act, 2010. The proposed action is to permit G&G activities in support of oil and gas exploration and development, renewable energy, and marine minerals in the Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Areas. We and other responsible agencies will use the PEIS to comply with various environmental laws (e.g., Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act).

Our goal at BOEM has always been to provide factual, reliable, and clear analytical statements in order to inform decisionmakers and the public about the environmental effects of proposed OCS activities and their alternatives.

BOEM is issuing this PEIS to describe and evaluate the potential environmental impacts of G&G survey activities in Federal waters of the Mid- and South Atlantic OCS and adjacent State waters. The PEIS examines G&G survey activities for three program areas (oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals) for activity levels projected between 2012 and 2020. The PEIS evaluates impacts to Atlantic resources that could occur as a result of G&G activities, and identifies mitigation and monitoring measures to avoid, reduce, or minimize impacts.

The PEIS was prepared upon direction of the Congress because BOEM currently has no programmatic NEPA coverage for permitting G&G activities in Atlantic OCS waters. BOEM has received several permit requests for seismic airgun surveys in support of oil and gas exploration, and industry has expressed interest in expanding activities into Atlantic offshore waters. The PEIS establishes a framework for future NEPA evaluations of site-specific actions, while identifying and analyzing mitigation measures for future programmatic use.

The purpose of the proposed action is to gather state-of-the-practice data about the ocean bottom and subsurface. These data would provide information about the location and extent of oil and gas reserves, seafloor conditions for oil and gas or renewable energy installations, and marine minerals deposits off the U.S. Atlantic coast. State-of-the-practice G&G data and information are required for business decisions in furtherance of prospecting for OCS oil and gas in an orderly manner, assessing sites for renewable energy facilities, or using marine mineral resources in the area. The G&G quality of data in surveys acquired during the period when Atlantic oil and gas leasing took place in the 1970's and 1980's has been eclipsed by newer instrumentation and technology that make seismic data of that era inadequate for business decisions to lease and develop these OCS lands or to evaluate the environmental impacts of leasing and development.

The need for the proposed action is to use the information obtained by G&G surveys to make informed business decisions regarding oil and gas reserves, engineering decisions regarding the construction of renewable energy projects, and informed estimates regarding the composition and volume of marine mineral resources. This information would also be used to ensure the proper use and conservation of OCS energy resources and the receipt of fair market value for the leasing of public lands.

Atlantic OCS GandG Programmatic EIS Area of Interest

Map above is available for PDF download in (11 x 17) and (8.5 x 11).

Final PEIS

A Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Final PEIS was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2014 (79 FR 13074) requesting any comments be submitted no later than April 7, 2014. BOEM welcomes comments from the public on the Final PEIS until May 7, 2014.

Notice of Availability – Federal Register
Special Information Sheet – Notice of Availability Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas
Volume I: Chapters 1-8, Figures, Tables, and Keyword Index
Volume II: Appendix A
Volume III: Appendices B-M
Final Biological Opinion
Acoustic Modeling and Marine Mammal Incidental Take Supplemental Tables
Atlantic G&G Fact Sheet

Draft PEIS

A Notice of Availability for the Draft PEIS was published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2012 (77 FR 19321) opening a 60-day comment period originally scheduled to close on May 30, 2012. The comment period for the draft PEIS was extended for an additional 30-days on June 4, 2012 (77 FR 32995) until July 2, 2012. The comment period includes the additional 4 days between the initial closing period until the reopening was published in the FR on June 4, 2012, resulting in a total of 94-days for the comment period. All comments received between May 31 and June 3, 2012 are included as part of the PEIS administrative record.

Over the 94-day comment period (March 30 to July 2), 55,295 comments were received on the draft PEIS for Atlantic G&G activity. Of these comment submissions an overwhelming majority, 54,750, were form letter emails. These comments consisted of 10 formulaic letters set up as email campaigns on the webpages of nine non-governmental organizations. Examples of the letters from these campaigns are included below. Of all formulaic comments of this type received, the largest collection was from the Natural Resources Defense Council. In addition to the email submissions, comments were also received by mail, hand delivered, or were provided during the public hearings.