Page 51 - IAGC The Voice 2017

IAGC COMMENTS ON NOAA/NMFS

STREAMLINING REGULATORY
PROCESSES

he 25 August joint IAGC-API comments focused on the regulation
of the offshore oil and gas and geophysical industries, outlined the
Tregulatory challenges the industries have encountered, and provided
an example to illustrate these challenges. The Associations emphasized
these regulatory challenges have become so severe that they seriously
threaten the ability of the industries to explore and develop the oil and gas
resources of the U.S. OCS.

The Associations are concerned about the difficulties that serve no
practical purpose and do not address any concrete problems that have
been, or can be, identified with actual information and scientific data.
Further, the difficulties the industry encounters are derived from agency
perceptions that are not based on actual science but instead are based
upon hypothetical imaginations of the worst possible effects that could
be caused by certain activities. Compounding this problem is NMFS's
approach to establishing the regulatory baseline through ESA listings and
critical habitat designations that has proceeded in a similarly unscientific,
"precautionary" manner.

IAGC MONITORS AFRICA
ENVIRONMENTAL
NORM AND STANDARDS
PROTOCOL

n 27 March 2017, the UN
Environment Programme
Opublished a Draft
Additional Protocol to the Abidjan
Convention for Environmental
Norms and Standards for Offshore
Oil and Gas Activities that will
now be considered for ratification
by individual member nations
in Africa. Included in the draft
Protocol are specific special
measures for seismic surveying
in sensitive areas, mandatory
completion of EIAs, and a public
consultation processes which could
attract increased anti-oil and gas
eNGO attention.

The IAGC circulated the draft
protocol to our members and
will keep the committees updated
when the protocol public comment
periods open within each country.
The IAGC is also working on this
issue with the African Union and
Ambassador to the U.S.

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