BOEM offshore energy plan lacks specific project details

What the public could have raised, from the agency’s own document

• I oppose this action as proposed, and I ask the agency to weigh the specific harms below.
• The plan identifies the Rice's whale habitat as approximately 104 statute miles from the proposed well location and states vessel traffic will not transit the Rice's whale area. However, the plan does not analyze underwater noise propagation from drilling operations, support vessel traffic, and helicopter operations relative to this critically endangered species with a population of fewer than 100 individuals. The plan merely states 'The Rice's whale area is over 70.3 miles from the proposed operations.' No acoustic analysis or received level calculation is provided. BOEM should require a site-specific acoustic analysis for Rice's whale before approving operations.
• BOEM must hear from the public before finalizing any plan that governs how federal offshore waters on the Outer Continental Shelf are managed for energy development or conservation.
• This planning process determines how ocean resources in federal offshore waters are used, and the public comment period is the formal mechanism for the public to shape that outcome.
• I urge BOEM to ensure full transparency in this planning document so that all uses and protections proposed for Outer Continental Shelf waters are clearly identified and justified.