The assessment could lead to open more Southern coastal waters to drilling. The researchers and scientists have started two-day workshop to discuss drilling’s impact on sea life and commercial and recreational fishing, along with other environmental and economic issues. It is said that the proposed drilling would occur 50 miles from shore in an area believed to contain 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Jim Cimato of the Minerals Management Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, opined that they have some of the top scientists from the East Coast here to inform us on the environmental information that’s available as well as data gaps. Majority of scientists believe that climate change is just one factor that has altered some research that dates back decades.
Scott Krauss of the New England Aquarium in Boston, told that seabirds could be dramatically affected by an oil spill but we have no data. He offered detailed research on the impact of ship traffic on whales and sea turtles and the “rising tide of noises” in the acoustic spaces of dolphins and whales. House Democratic leaders have backed that position, stating last month they would not seek to reinstate a quarter-century ban on drilling in 85 percent of the nation’s offshore federal waters from New England to the Pacific Northwest.
