The U.S. Department of the Interior on July 1, 2022, released its long-awaited update on the next Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) five-year proposed offshore drilling.
Carol J. Miller Share:
The quest to fulfill energy demands places whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals at substantial risk. When seismic surveys are used to explore for oil and gas, shock waves and rapid changes in pressure can cause tissue destruction and deafen marine mammals, who are highly dependent on their key senses for survival.
In the interest of conservation and prudent development of the natural resources, President Truman’s 1945 Proclamation asserted federal jurisdiction over natural resources, the subsoil, and the seabed of offshore resources of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the United States. Proclamation 2667, 10 Fed. Reg. 12,305 (Sept. 28, 1945). The goal of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), passed in 1953, is to balance protection for marine animals and restoration of coastal beaches and wetlands, with management of oil and gas exploration. 43 U.S.C. §§ 1331–1356(b) (1953). The 1978 OCSLA amendments addressed increasing demand