Snowe Calls for NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard to Play Integral Role in Permit Process for Offshore Oil & Gas Development

Press Release

Today, during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing examining ongoing response efforts to the massive oil spill that continues to gush off the Louisiana coast, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, said it was imperative the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard be given mandatory statutory authority in permitting offshore oil and gas development.

"There has been no Federal mandate for NOAA or the Coast Guard to be an integral part of developing from the ground up the assessments that govern offshore exploration," said Senator Snowe. "I find it shocking that our nation's best ocean scientists would be relegated to the sidelines during development of such a strategy instead of being involved from day one."

During today's hearing, Senator Snowe noted that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) opted to approve the BP and Transocean's spill response plan despite the fact that it contained no description of how this kind of massive oil spill, would be contained. Senator Snowe went on to ask Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Allen, if he would have approved a response plan for a vessel that failed to offer a detailed description of how a company would handle the failure of a system, and the Admiral said the Coast Guard requires such specifics in plans it approves.

"It is critical that we understand the relationships between the agencies so we can fully understand what went wrong," said Senator Snowe. "The fact that we have two inherently similar practices handled by two different agencies demonstrates a discrepancy in our practices and this is frankly, something that should be corrected."

Senator Snowe further inquired as to how the epic spill would impact NOAA's future activities. In her response, NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubcheno said that the amount of oil that spilled is extremely relevant to fully analyze its impact from a natural resource management perspective and committed to giving Senator Snowe a report on how the event will impact NOAA activities.

"As the agency tasked with managing our living marine resources and carrying out fundamental oceanographic research, NOAA clearly understands the dangers inherent in offshore oil and gas activities," said Senator Snowe. "The Coast Guard is also well-versed in spill response, serving as the lead agency for the Federal response to oil spills in the marine environment and approving all oil spill response plans from vessels."

Senator Snowe continued, "Relegating these agencies to the back bench is an egregious mistake that could have helped avert this devastation. I intend to make it a requirement for NOAA and the Coast Guard to be at the table when these permits are approved so MMS will not be able to turn a blind eye to the vital input of these agencies."

Source