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March 31, 2010
Obama administration grants protection for Bristol Bay from offshore drilling.
- Photo: Nick Hall
INCLUDING NEWS RELEASE, FISHING CONTACTS, PHOTOS & MORE!
Alaska and the nation's commercial fisheries stronghold in Bristol Bay is receiving protection from offshore drilling, President Obama and Secretary Ken Salazar announced today. The decision comes in the context of a review of national offshore oil and gas leasing programs and cancels a Bristol Bay sale that had been moving forward for 2011. Obama reinstated protection for the region from offshore drilling through 2017 by way of a presidential withdrawal of the area from leasing that had been in place under former administrations.
Fishing interests and communities are applauding the decision as an important step towards safeguarding Bristol Bay's rich fisheries. However, with the long history of plans to drill, buybacks, and protection in the region, groups are calling for permanent protection so misguided drilling proposals don't once again threaten the jobs, livelihoods, and culture of future generations.
The Alaska Marine Conservation Council has been working hand-in-hand with fishing interests and local communities on the issue for more than five years. The opposition to drilling in the region from the commercial fishing industry and local Native interests is strong, with more than sixty-six of these groups and hundreds of fishermen calling for protection of the region in recent years.
March 30, 2010
September 29, 2009
A new image available from SkyTruth shows what the ongoing spill off the coast of Australia would look like if it occurred in Bristol Bay. The image is based on a NOAA/MODIS satellite image dated September 3, 2009.
To view the original images from SkyTruth click here.
To read a recent NY Times article about the spill, click here.
June 2009
Secretary Ken Salazar has some big decisions to make for Bristol Bay in the coming months. In April, a DC court of appeals ruling seemingly vacated (i.e. threw out) the 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program that includes a lease sale for Bristol Bay in 2011. That sale (know as North Aleutian Basin Sale 214) has been moving forward as planned over past years with a draft environmental impact statement currently in preparation. With the clock rapidly ticking towards selling off our nation’s richest fishing grounds for the sake of finite fossil fuel resources, the court decision had many breathing a sigh of relief.
However, just after the decision came down, the Department of Interior (DOI) asked the court to clarify what it meant in its ruling. That means the leasing process for Bristol Bay is moving forward until the Secretary determines how to move forward. The court is expected to provide guidance to the Secretary and his staff at DOI in coming weeks. After that, Salazar will be faced with redoing the 2007-2012 drilling plan, which could mean taking Bristol Bay off the table.
The New 2010-2015 Outer Continental Shelf Drilling Plan
Even if Salazar removes Bristol Bay from the current (2007-2012) OCS plan, he’ll have to go even further to provide protection for the region’s fish-rich waters. That’s because North Aleutian Basin Sale 214 is not just in the current plan but also in the “new,” overlapping 2010-2015 OCS Leasing Program. There's also another Bristol Bay sale scheduled for 2014 in the new plan. Sound confusing? It’s really not as complicated as it may seem.
Essentially, the Secretary has broad authority as a result of the court decision and because the new 5-year plan is not yet finalized. Salazar has a vital opportunity now to chart a new path for our nation’s energy future- one that does not include drilling in our “fish basket.”
While the Secretary can with a stroke of a pen, remove Bristol Bay from current and future 5-year leasing programs, a permanent protection solution is ultimately needed. The region was off limits to drilling for nearly 17 years, but what was in place was only temporary and vanished when political tides turned. That’s why strong action by congress to permanently protect Bristol Bay from drilling is needed before we can declare victory.
For now, let’s hope- and ask- for that short-term reprieve the Secretary can provide, while being prepared to take to Capitol Hill when the time is ripe.
You can help by sending a letter or email to Secretary Salazar urging him to protect Bristol Bay. Better yet, send one to Salazar and Senator Mark Begich (if you’re an Alaskan) urging him to call on the Secretary for protection of Bristol Bay. Click here for to find out more on taking action.
Borough hesitates backing Bristol Bay petroleum leases
Anchorage Daily News- June 17, 2009
The U.S. Minerals Management Service for years has counted on a remote local government, the Aleutians East Borough, as a key supporter of the offshore oil and gas lease sale proposed for the North Aleutian basin in 2011.
Lately, however, the borough's relationship with MMS has become strained, raising the possibility that a friend might turn against the controversial lease sale.
Click here for the full article.
Court ends Alaska offshore drilling plan
Anchorage Daily News- April 17, 2009
WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Bush administration didn't adequately study the environmental impact of expanding oil and gas drilling off the Alaska coast, a finding that many of Alaska's leaders reacted to with dismay.
Click here for the full article.Click here for AMCC's press release on the story.
Bristol Bay in the News
Visit our Bristol Bay in the News page for a news feed of Bristol Bay offshore oil and gas related news stories from the past 30 days.
Monday, April 13: Secretary Salazar and Senator Begich Host Town Hall Meeting in Dillingham
Secretary Salazar and Senator Mark Begich will make a brief visit to Dillingham on Monday, April for a town hall meeting on offshore drilling and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands issues. The meeting will begin at 3:00 pm at the Dillingham High School. This is a critical opportunity to speak out for protection of the region from offshore drilling.
Please download this flyer for more information or contact Terry Hoefferle in Dillingham at (907) 842-4404 to learn more about activities related to the town hall meeting.
Click here for talking points for the Dillingham meeting.
Tuesday, April 14: Anchorage Public Hearing on Offshore Drilling, Teleconference Call-in Available
In a rare opportunity to provide comment to those who directly make decisions, Secretary Ken Salazar will be Anchorage on Tuesday, April 14 hosting a public hearing on offshore energy development. A strong turnout of people testifying and urging protection of Bristol Bay from offshore drilling is needed.
Currently oil and gas lease sales are scheduled to occur in Bristol Bay in 2011 and 2014. The Secretary will be deciding in the coming months whether or not to proceed with these sales. All comments made will be part of the official record and considered by the Secretary as he makes this important decision. Please attend and help convey that the tremendous risks of drilling in Bristol Bay to the ecologically, economically, and culturally important fisheries resources outweigh the limited, potential benefits.
What: Public hearing on offshore energy development, including Bristol Bay. The public, especially those that have ties to Bristol Bay and Bering Sea fisheries, are encouraged to attend and testify. Testimony is limited to 3 minutes (about 600 words). See links below for talking points and more information. You can also call-in if you are not in Anchorage.
When: Tuesday, April 14. Sign-up for testimony begins at 8:00 am, hearing starts at 9:00 am and runs until 8:00 pm with breaks between 12:00 -1:00 pm and 4:00-6:00 pm.
Where: Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center, 600 W. Seventh Ave. Anchorage, AK 99501
For more information on testifying and talking points click here.
For a flyer on the hearing you can distribute click here.
For teleconference information click here.
For official information from the Department of Interior, go to
www.doi.gov/ocsMore Education on Bristol Bay Needed, Public Encouraged to Attend Anchorage Hearing
April 2009
On April 2, the Department of Interior released a report on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy development. The report, which Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar commissioned the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and US Geological Survey (USGS) to complete in 45 days, is intended to summarize available information on energy resources in the OCS as well as potential impacts of development.
The Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC)
provided supplementary information
for consideration of the Secretary alongside the MMS/USGS report related
specifically to the ecological richness of Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea, especially the region’s fisheries
resources. The AMCC letter also speaks to the documented lack of scientific
information available to support leasing decisions in this planning area and
raises concerns regarding potential seismic surveys in the region.
The report is considered one of several steps towards a new, comprehensive approach to energy development in our nation's OCS by the Obama administration. Other steps include extending the public comment period by 180 days on the new 2010-2015 OCS Leasing Program and scheduling public hearings across the nation on OCS development.
A 2011 sale for Bristol Bay is included in the current 2007-2012 leasing program. However, the new 2010-2015 program includes the same 2011 lease sale as well as an additional sale in 2014. The overlap provides an opportunity for the Secretary to take Bristol Bay lease sales off the table in the context of the current review of the 2010-2015 program.
A hearing will occur in Anchorage on Tuesday, April 14 at the Dena'ina Convention Center with doors opening at 8:00 am. AMCC is encouraging all who can attend to do so and speak out for protection of Bristol Bay. For more information, on the hearing and commenting on the Bristol Bay leasing in the new 5-year OCS program go to www.doi.gov/ocs or contact Kelly Harrell at kelly"at"akmarine.org or call (907) 277-5360.
Despite Lack of Scientific Data, Minerals Management Service Presses Ahead with Bristol Bay Lease Sale
January 2009
The "scoping" process, the first step in preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the proposed 2011 lease sale in Bristol Bay and the southeastern
Bering Sea (known as North Aleutian Basin Sale 214) closed in October 2008. The federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) is now entering the phase of developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement that is predicted to be complete in the summer of 2010.
MMS is moving forward with the lease sale despite warnings by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and numerous other experts that current, scientific information to complete an adequate EIS is sorely lacking. MMS has only initiated a handful of studies to fill data gaps over the past several years. For more information please see: Lack of Science to Support Bristol Bay Offshore Drilling.
AMCC is working with partners to help ensure this faulty Draft EIS is never completed. Stay tuned to learn about efforts underway with the new Congress and Obama administration to halt the lease sale and restore protection for Bristol Bay.
Scoping Process Underway for 2011 Lease Sale
October 2008
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The federal government is currently engaged in the "scoping" process for the proposed 2011 lease sale in Bristol Bay and the southeastern Bering Sea (known as North Aleutian Basin Sale 214). Concerned members of the public, researchers, residents of the Bristol Bay region, subsistence users, commercial and sport fishermen all have the opportunity to voice concerns over the proposed lease sale and influence what issues are considered in the environmental review process.
WHAT IS SCOPING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Scoping is the first official step taken by the Minerals Management Service (MMS)- the federal agency in charge of offshore oil and gas decisions- in preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed oil and gas lease sale.
MMS is asking for public comments on the full range and "scope" of issues to be considered by the agency as it prepares the EIS. Issues to be considered can pertain to the general ecological, economic, social, and cultural importance of the region as well as to the full range of potential impacts that should be considered in the decision-making process.
Once scoping has been completed, MMS will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and in this document MMS is supposed to consider, and respond to, the comments raised during scoping.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE VITAL TO THE PROCESS
Public input into the EIS by those with intimate knowledge of the marine and coastal resources of the Bristol Bay region that could be affected by offshore drilling is crucial to ensuring a robust and thorough decision-making process.
The scoping process also offers an important opportunity simply to express opposition to offshore drilling amid the rich waters if Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea. With a new presidential administration coming into place, comments and information gathered during scoping could be vital to decisions about whether to proceed with the lease sale.
TAKE ACTION FOR BRISTOL BAY NOW!
Go to the Take Action! page to find out more on how to comment and for a draft comment letter.
Information to help you formulate your comments and questions can also be found on our website here.
Related resources:
- Updated Federal Register Notice extending the scoping deadline to Octiober 17
- Minerals Management Service August 08 press release announcing scoping meetings
- Minerals Management Service April 08 press release on the scoping announcement
- Original April 8 Notice announcing scoping in the Federal Register (PDF)
- Anchorage Daily News story, "Feds move towards drilling in right whale territory"
- National Marine Fisheries Service information on the North Pacific right whale
Secretary of Interior Approves 5-Year OCS Leasing Program
June 2007
On June 29, 2007 Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne approved the Minerals Management Service (MMS) 5-Year Program for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing which includes a lease sale in Bristol Bay planned for 2011. See AMCC's News Release 6-29-2007. The 5-Year Program became official national policy on July 1, 2007.
House Natural Resources Committee Oversight Hearing
On June 28, 2007 the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing to probe provisions in the 5-Year OCS Leasing Program. Read AMCC's written testimony.
Congress Steps Up to Protect Bristol Bay
April 2007
The Bristol Bay Protection Act (H.R. 1957), was introduced in the House on April 19, 2007 by Representatives Inslee (D-WA), Rep. Gilchrest (R-MD), and Rep. Hinchey (D- NY)). The bill would permanently protect the offshore waters of Alaska's Bristol Bay from oil and gas leasing. See AMCC's News Release 4-19-2007.
Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the Senate companion to H.R. 1957 of the Bristol Bay Protection Act on May 7. “We can’t depend on drilling just because some refuse to take on our energy challenge in a meaningful way,” Senator Kerry said. “Bristol Bay contains some of our nation’s best remaining fish and wildlife habitat. This legislation will permanently prohibit drilling in Bristol Bay and uphold an important mandate that protects our coastlines from drilling.”