Colonels aim for Southland soccer titles, NCAAs
September 2, 2014
For newest judge, landmark is bench itself
September 2, 2014
The permits allowing a Texas company to set off seismic blasts in Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes water-bottoms contains special instructions for what to do if bald eagles are spotted due to near-shore nests or if endangered wintering piping plovers are spotted on beaches.
But a thorough review of those permits and supporting documents on file with the Army Corps of Engineers show that no mention is ever made of dolphins which, like bald eagles, are not endangered but enjoy special protections.
Sea turtles, which are on the federal government’s endangered species list, are not mentioned either, even though federal officials acknowledge that they travel waters within the blasting zone.
News of the project, for which minimal public hearings were held in the spring, is spreading slowly through environmental circles, whose leaders have been especially aggressive in the area of sea turtle protection.
“We are going to dig further into this issue as it seems very serious,” said Kara Lankford, director of Ocean Conservancy’s Gulf Restoration Program. “Without much knowledge of the issue it seems to be a big omission not to address potential harm to sea turtles and marine mammals.”
She made the statement after being briefed on the situation in order to make comment for this story. A key focus of the discussion was on the total absence of endangered turtle mention in any paperwork. The closest on record is a generic reference to reptiles and amphibians. Final documents make no mention of turtles as well.
“The project area is known to contain nesting habitat for the bald eagle, nesting waterbird colonies, and critical habitat for wintering piping plovers,” the permit paperwork reads. “The applicant’s agent conducted a survey for colonial waterbird rookeries and bald eagle nests within the project area so that operations could be offset from the identified locations for the protection of the species during the nesting season. Source points were offset from the areas of designated critical habitat as well. These mitigative measures will help ensure the protection of these wildlife values.”
The evidence, critics maintain, show a lopsided government policy that favors some industries when the potential for environmental conflict exists, ignoring clear mandates in regulation and law, while demanding new and restrictive duties from others.
The project in the vicinity of Pointe au Feur Island, which includes Four League Bay, Oyster Bayou and other environmentally sensitive areas of Louisiana coast, is expected to continue for as long as nine months. When work began in earnest two weeks ago shrimpers were livid because of a conflict with their new season. State wildlife officials, who are involved in the permitting process, have already stated they will be more careful in the future to see that adequate notice is made.
The bulk of the blasting will occur within Louisiana’s territorial boundaries, which makes for some differences in how conflicts are identified or resolved. In its own impact documents, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries made no mention of sea turtles in the area, because it only counts those that have nests on beaches.
Workers are drilling – segment by segment –20,672 4-inch wide by 150-feet-deep shot holes, making the combined area of actual holes more than a mile. They are to be located at 440-foot intervals along transect lines as part of a 3-D seismic survey to aid in discovery of oil and gas for future harvesting.
Some of the blast area is on land, but the bulk of the work will be done in the water.
Officials for the company doing the work, Castex Energy, say great pains have been taken to follow all relative rules and regulations, at great expense.
An environmental survey prepared for the company and submitted to the Corps indeed notes that wetlands and waters would be temporarily impacted, including areas that shelter reptiles and amphibians.
“Increased turbidity from construction activities can impair the ability of aquatic species to locate food and cover,” the report says. “Sedimentation due to excessive erosion or channel disturbance can cover up habitat or smother shellfish or spawning sites for fish. Certain types of sediment particles can actually bind to the gills of aquatic insects and fish, impairing respiration. Any reduction in water quality resulting from the proposed activity is anticipated to be of short duration, and localized to an area immediately surrounding the individual source points. Overall, if adequate measures are implemented and maintained during construction, it is anticipated that the proposed project should have no long-term effects on the aquatic ecosystem.”
NOAA spokeswoman Allison Garrett says her agency, whose domain includes sea turtles, was consulted on fish habitat but received no questions concerning sea turtles.
“Louisiana coastal waters are considered habitat for sea turtles and are important feeding grounds for Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles,” Garrett said. “The coastal, open water parts of the survey overlap with where we would expect sea turtles.”
The Endangered Species Act requires that federal agencies consult if activities for which they award permits might affect sea turtles. There is no such provision for the states, however.
There is no specific law that would allow NOAA to shut a project down once it begin if sea turtles were discovered, but the Endangered Species Act generally prohibits any US citizen from “intentionally, or unintentionally, harming, harassing, or killing sea turtles.”
After examining maps relative to the blasting, Ocean Conservancy’s Lankford noted that sea turtles took a beating as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent contamination of waters by oil and dispersant.
Kemp’s Ridley turtles, she said, forage in Louisiana waters. The organization is tracking two nesting females that might travel very close to the area of the blasting “if not overlapping it.”
Little science exists regarding the effects of seismic impacts on sea turtles and dolphins, federal officials said.
But at least one federal study has suggested that the noise encountered could constitute “harassment” as defined in under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Guidelines created as a precaution on the basis of those studies include halt of seismic activity for 60 minutes if a sea turtle or marine mammal is spotted. Crew members must be trained in such matters in accordance with federal guidelines.
But whether workers and job supervisors – if not compelled by provisions in their permit – would halt blasting due to mammals or turtles is a question that remains open and unanswered.
A green turtle, one of several sea turtle species living in Louisiana waters. Environmentalists fear seismic blasts in Terrebonne and St. Mary water-bottoms may impact the well-being of the threatened species.
