GAO recommends clarification of environmental review time frames for seismic surveying
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended last week that federal wildlife agencies clarify the permitting review process for oil and gas exploration on the ocean floor using seismic surveys.
Currently, permits for seismic surveys are administered by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Additional authorization is required from federal wildlife agencies if exploring the ocean floor with soundwaves could harm marine animals.
A GAO review found that BOEM reviewed 297 seismic survey applications and granted 264 permits from 2011 to 2016. There are no statutory requirements for BOEM review timeframes, and reviews took anywhere from zero to 340 days to complete.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) conducted 35 incidental take authorization application reviews for environmentally sensitive areas during that time, approving 28 applications. Neither agency could provide accurate data on how long it took to complete reviews.
“Federal internal control standards call for agencies to use quality information,” GAO reported. “Without guidance on how to accurately record review dates, agencies and applicants will continue to have uncertainty around review time frames. Further, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the agencies are to review one type of incidental take authorization application — incidental harassment authorization applications — within 120 days of receiving an application for such authorizations.”
Not conducting analyses of review time frames, GAO continued, is inconsistent with federal internal control standards. GAO recommended that NMFS and FWS draft guidance clarifying how staff should record review dates to ensure that statutory requirements are met.
