Act to Protect Marine Wildlife from Seismic Testing

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

The administration just put dolphins, whales and sea turtles in jeopardy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just issued Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) to five major oil and natural gas companies to conduct seismic blasting off of the Atlantic coast.¹ Studies have shown the dangerous effects of seismic blasting on marine animals and ecosystems. But we have a chance to stop it before the permits are finalized.

Tell Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to protect marine wildlife from seismic blasting at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=30236.

Ships fire blasts of air into the water at the ocean floor every 10 to 12 seconds in search of oil. At 100,000 times the intensity of a jet engine, the blasts are so loud that they can disturb, injure and even kill marine life and harm commercial fisheries.² The blasts spread for thousands of miles, the distance of a flight from New York City to Las Vegas.³

These blasts have been known to deafen dolphins, cause whales to beach themselves, and disrupt many marine animals’ feeding and mating habits.⁴ The effects of seismic blasting will be even more harmful to the North Atlantic right whales, one of the world’s most endangered species with just 411 whales remaining.⁵ The approved blasting zone is right in the middle of the whales’ habitat, from the coasts of New Jersey to Florida.

Authorization for seismic blasting had previously been shut down in 2017 by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, citing the danger for marine life. But now it’s moving forward once again.

Add your name to stop seismic blasting off of our coasts.

Even though NOAA has authorized the initial permits, the Department of the Interior still needs to give final approval. Which is why we need to act quickly to tell Acting Interior Secretary Bernhardt to protect our coast from seismic blasting.

Take action today.

1. Peter Stubley, “Trump administration approves seismic blasting for oil in Atlantic despite fears for marine life,” Independent, December 5, 2018.
2. “Offshore Drilling: Seismic airguns,” Oceana, last accessed January 3, 2019.
3. Jennifer A. Dlouhy, “Trump Paves Way for Air Guns to Search for Atlantic Oil,” Bloomberg, November 30, 2018.
4. Sarah Gibbens, “How whales and dolphins may be harmed by new seismic airgun approval,” National Geographic, November 30, 2018.
5. Sarah Gibbens, “How whales and dolphins may be harmed by new seismic airgun approval,” National Geographic, November 30, 2018.