Proposed Rules DOE protect whales

Proposed U.S. environmental regulations aimed at protecting endangered whales during the gas , oil testing Richmond , Va. (AP) - Proposed federal environmental guidelines published on Thursday will protect endangered whales from the North Atlantic marine seismic tests aimed at summing up of oil and gas from Delaware to Florida. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management presented this and other protective measure designed to protect marine life , if the government allows you to test , which can be the first step in the development of the offshore oil industry in Atlantic waters . The Obama administration has postponed the planned leasing of sea routes in Virginia and other Atlantic states after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Leasing to begin in 2011 , but was postponed to 2017 . Seismic testing is intended to apply new technologies in areas that have not been studied in more than three decades , and then the equipment that had limited ability to identify energy resources hidden beneath the ocean floor . Energy industry said the new , more sophisticated seismic not only give a more complete picture of oil and gas fields , but also to eliminate areas that do not have to be drilled . While the industry believes that the development of oil and natural gas in the continental shelf would create thousands of jobs over the next couple of decades, ocean protection groups claim marine life should not be subjected to the blast zone to 50 km from the coast. They insisted on the delay in ecology as a key study has not been completed . " Failing to consider relevant science , the decision of the Obama administration could be a death sentence for many marine mammals," said Jacqueline Savitz, vice president of U.S. oceans Oceana. In a statement , BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau said the department is committed to a "balance between the need for an understanding of offshore energy resources to the protection of human and marine environment using the best available science as the basis of the environmental assessment. " The so-called mitigation measures identified Boem also encourage visual observers to avoid vessels strikes of whales and other marine life testing to detect and prevent other marine life , including dolphins and protection for nesting sea turtles , dolphins and areas where whales collected. Seismic testing uses air guns mounted on ships to blast the sound waves from the ocean floor. Testing records of geological formations that would indicate oil and gas fields . Shooting is likely to take a year or more. Environmental groups opposed the test , arguing that it would be harmful and destructive to marine life. They cite government estimates 138,500 marine mammals , such as dolphins and whales can be injured . Only 500 whales in the North Atlantic are worldwide. They migrate from the Gulf of Maine to Florida. "Ocean world of sound, rather than sight ," said Matthew Huelsenbeck, a marine biologist with Oceana, which advocates for the protection of the oceans. "When you blast their environment , it may cause temporary or permanent hearing loss and can disrupt marine animals. Submit dynamite go in your backyard. " Huelsenbeck skeptical exclusivity zones designed to protect whales , noting that whales can not be limited to the establishment of protection zones . Oceana, who presented President Barack Obama with a letter signed by more than 100 marine scientists and conservation biologists Unlike seismic studies suggested that the delay BOEM issue environmental regulations until the new acoustic principles for marine mammals according to the National Marine Fisheries Service . Energy called environmental assessment Boem important step towards a "new exploration of oil and natural gas in the Atlantic. " Industry study published before the announcement Boem said oil and gas development between 2017 and 2035 can create nearly 280,000 jobs. " To continue the renaissance of American power in the future, we need to examine and plan for the future now," said Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute .