ISSUED: September 21, 1999
CONTACT: Sue Knapp 617-973-5213 [email protected]
Scientists with the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Release Report About the Consequences of Georges Bank Oil and Gas Exploration
Boston - A report to be released at a press conference on September 23, 1999 by scientists from the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addresses the pressing issue of petroleum exploration and development on Georges Bank. The oil and gas exploration moratorium on the Canadian portion of the Bank expires at the end of this year. The decision to either extend the moratorium, which was initially established to protect this important fishing ground, or open the northeast corner of the Bank to drilling and seismic surveys falls to the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Nova Scotia. The determination must be made by January 1, 2000. There are implications for both US and Canadian portions of the bank.
The US moratorium on Georges Bank oil and gas exploration was recently extended until 2012. The Georges Bank Review Panel, a Canadian-based, government-appointed group of scientists and policy makers charged with making a recommendation on this issue, has endorsed extending the moratorium.
The report, compiled by collaborating scientists from the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, provides current information about the potential environmental consequences of offshore oil and gas exploration and the resulting development. It also considers Georges Bank as a complete ecosystem with no regard to political boundaries. The report further offers suggestions to mitigate or eliminate the environmental concerns. Authors of the report aim to inform the Canadian/Nova Scotian decision, not advise it.
According to Jerry Schubel, President of the New England Aquarium, "This report augments the recent Canadian report which consisted of information received at public hearings. By considering impacts on all portions of the Bank and taking into account all oil and gas development practices, not just explorative, we provide a more comprehensive review of the scientific literature than supplied by the Canadians." Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Associate Director for Education and Dean of Graduate Studies John Farrington said, "This is an important summary of the present status of environmental concerns relative to Georges Bank. It is important to periodically assess how new knowledge pertains to potential environmental consequences especially in view of the impending Canadian decision." Massachusetts Environmental Affairs Secretary Bob Durand said, "We thank the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for producing such a fine and useful report. We are sure
The report considers four broad categories of environmental impact: release of oil/mud sludge, release of produced water, noise pollution and accidental oils spills. A brief summary of the report follows:
* Release of oily mud and cuttings during drilling - Advances in technology have reduced the oil discharged per well from 30-120 tons to roughly one ton. Reduction in scallop growth from the high solids loading remains a concern.
* Release of oily water during petroleum production - Old methods discharged this extra water to the area surrounding the site. New technology can re-inject the water back into the earth, however it's more expensive.
* Noise pollution, primarily from seismic surveying to map the geologic structure of the sea floor - Airgun detonation is lethal to fish eggs and larvae at five meters. Larger fish and marine mammals are disturbed and tend to vacate noisy areas. Long-term effects are unknown. However, recent knowledge about interactions between sound in the sea and marine organisms has reinforced previous concerns.
* Accidental oil spills - The chance of a catastrophic spill is low, as is the probability of pipe corrosion or anchor damage. With proper care, attention and training, the threat of spills is greatly reduced.
The report provides an overview of the Georges Bank ecosystem and summarizes the most current data collected from many sources about oil and gas exploration technology and research. The report will be presented to the Minister of Natural Resources for Canada and the Minister of Natural Resources for Nova Scotia. The East Coast Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the US Minerals Management Service have also asked for copies of the report. The report was reviewed by a number of leading scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Georges Bank is a productive and commercially valuable fishing habitat located roughly 100 miles off the New England/Canada coast. It is a 12,000-square-mile underwater plateau with strong currents, extreme tides and abundant marine life. The international boundary between the US and Canada cuts across the Bank. In recent years, the area has suffered depleted fish stocks. Current management practices, both Canadian and US, carefully regulate commercial fishing on Georges Bank.
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TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE COMPLETE REPORT, PLEASE CALL
KARA SULLIVAN AT THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM AT 617-742-5331.
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