From: Required Field To: G&GEIS Subject: ?Comments on the Draft Atlantic G&G Programmatic EIS Date: Monday, April 30, 2012 5:55:20 PM Attachments: Frank T. Fazzino III Resume PDF LinkedIN.pdf I heard about the drilling poissibility from Curtis Wright, local radio show host & State Senator Thom Goolsby. I am one of many, who whole heartedly support offshore exploration. It can bring jobs to our area while lowering our depedance onEnergy from Terrorist Supporting Countries. Ifd you have bumper stickers, please let me know. North Carolina can take advantage of its own sel sustainability before nearby states begin slant drilling !! Come on overto North Carolina, we want you here !! Also, I would like to apply for entry level Floorman position, see my resume attached. Sincerely, Frank Fazzino -Wilmington NC, Resident & Supporter of Offshore Exploration & Extraction From: Nancy Danch To: G&GEIS Subject: "Comments on the Draft PEIS for Atlantic G&G Activities" Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 2:33:42 PM This action is totally uncalled for. BOEM's proposal to use airgun arrays to blast the ocean and seafloor with sound waves loud enough to pinpoint oil and gas deposits buried deep underground is not safe for our environment nor are is it safe for marine life. BOEM has no idea of the long term effects that marine life will suffer in their communciation, mating, and daily living activities that have existed long before our scientific community decided to blast their home. Isn't there enough harm that is caused by pollution, over fishing, etc.? BOEM does not need to add to this. I am firmly against this project and hope that it never happens. What good will all of this testing and blasting be if we destroy nature and, in turn, our habitat that so strongly depends on a healthy environment? Think again, do not proceed with this. Nancy Danch Princeton University From: Lisa Koehl To: G&GEIS Subject: "Comments on the Draft PEIS for Atlantic G&G Activities" Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 8:14:09 AM Dear Honorable Officials: I am writing with respect and personal sincerity to voice my opposition to harmful exploration that will lead to oil and gas development in the Atlantic. Oil exploration leads directly to oil drilling. Both the search (with disastrously loud airgun blasts) and the resulting drilling (with oil spills, discharges, and disasters a daily risk) devastate marine ecosystems, degrade marine habitat and water quality, and affect clean ocean uses like fisheries, surfing, boating, and coastal tourism. IF this happens, what harm will result? For marine life, like fish, whales, dolphins, and turtles: The loud blasting masks social communications used to find mates, forage for food, or identify predators. The long-term noise can interfere with nursing, family groups, and migration patterns. Repetitive sound waves can cause temporary or permanent hearing impairment and loss, serious injury from tissue trauma and hemorrhaging, or even death - as is suspected in many marine mammal strandings world-wide. The US Navy recently found that their own seismic/sonar activities are much more harmful than previously thought (Check back with COA's Blog tomorrow for more on this.) For humans, and the businesses and economies of the coasts: When these surveys are ongoing (over the next decade), any other ocean use will be excluded over a vast ocean area. Commerce and fishing will be limited in when the ocean can be used; fish stocks and catches can be impacted. Divers and swimmers would be at risk of serious trauma if underwater at the time of a nearby airgun blast. Once oil and gas production begins, and the industrialization of the Atlantic is complete, coastal economies will suffer. ARE these surveys even necessary? NO. These surveys are for oil and gas exploration only. Studies show that there is only enough Atlantic Ocean oil to fuel the U.S. for 209 days and natural gas to last 14 months (at current consumption rates). Drilling in the Atlantic will NOT affect gasoline prices - According to a study done by the U.S. Government, we'd only save (at most) a few cents per gallon, and not until 15-20 years after drilling begins. WHAT solutions are needed? A national energy policy promoting energy efficiency and conservation, and an orderly transition to renewable and alternative energy sources. Impacts to Marine Life: Seismic surveys send shocking air gun blasts at levels of up to 255 decibels into the sea floor in search of oil and gas causing harm to the marine environment. These sound waves interfere with communication, behavior, and reproduction in marine life. Sound levels for divers begin to become intolerable at a level of around 140 decibels, and cause physical impacts around 160 decibels. A thousand dolphin deaths in Peru recently are feared to be due to seismic surveys, and here at home the DOI has even stopped some Gulf of Mexico seismic surveys because the agency thinks they're having impacts on dolphins there. Impacts to Fisherman: In New Jersey, there are more than 46,000 fishing industry jobs, more than $1.4 billion in recreational fishing sales and more than $5.8 billion in commercial fishing sales. Seismic Exploration can disorient fish changing migration and reproduction habits and in turn threatening the fishing industry. Impacts to the Economy: New Jersey's tourism & recreation industry, which generates more than $38 billion and 312,000 jobs, is at risk from drilling off the Atlantic coast. The Gulf of Mexico is still - two years later - reeling from the economic impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster. -:¦:- ¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) -:|:- ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Lisa Koehl -:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* -:|:- "I am only one but I am still one." I cannot do everything but I can still do something" "When Injustice Becomes Law Rebellion Becomes Duty" "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." - Albert Schweitzer "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead "Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight "-Albert Schweitzer "Well behaved women rarely make history."- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing"- Albert Einstein "When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."- Abraham Lincoln From: Marlene Rost To: G&GEIS Subject: "Comments on the Draft PEIS for Atlantic G&G Activities" Date: Friday, May 18, 2012 2:28:02 PM It is completely unnecessary to check on the ocean floor for gas and oil and will be very harmful to marine life. This will not solve our energy problem in the US and will not even begin to contribute. Do not allow this to happen. It is unconscionable and cruel to destroy the environment in this manner. We are completely opposed and request that you stop it from happening. Marlene Rost & Richard Pineles & Alan Reiff From: Jen Rhee To: G&GEIS Subject: A note on the cost of gas Date: Friday, April 13, 2012 2:23:32 PM Hi, I came across your site while searching for blogs and posts about oil prices. That said, I wanted to reach out to see if you'd like to view a graphic that my team and I created which illustrates why our current gas prices are so high. Would you be interested in taking a look? I'd love to get your readers' feedback as well as yours! Thanks, Jen R. From: Captain Joel S. Fogel To: G&GEIS Subject: Additional Comments : BOEM EIS Proposal for Seismic Testing / Drilling for Gas and Oil Date: Sunday, April 29, 2012 4:10:13 PM ATTN: Mr. Gary Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Dear Mr. Goeke: Clearly the hearing of marine mammals is known to be affected and we also know that fish can be killed by sound blasts. It then stands to reason that if important segments of the ecosystem are affected, (1) the entire system is exposed to the risk of major alterations, and (2) that those changes are more often than not negative ones since the existing systems tend to be optimized in terms of diversity, productivity and stability. No doubt, natural systems fluctuate but if they are healthy those fluctuations do not lead to a tipping point that threatens the entire system. One should also point out that the oceans have already been subject to a great number of stressors, including a soup of chemical compounds that has been entered the ocean system for decades. Increased acidification has become a problem more recently but we are already seeing the accumulative effect of those various impacts. It must be clear to any objective observer that increasing the pressures and stress on the ocean system will likely result in more and more failures of eco-system components until eventually the entire system will fail or collapse. In regards to the argument that new drilling is needed to create jobs and reduce importation of foreign oil. Maybe it would create jobs but more often than not more jobs are lost in the existing sector (fisheries, tourism) than gained in the new (exploration and eventually drilling). The second point is an absolute myth: no matter how much drilling occurs in the U.S. and its territorial waters, it won’t reduce the dependency on foreign oil because all crude is sold on international markets. In addition, the US does not have the refining capacity it would need to be independent.