What happened: The Department of the Interior (DOI) approved hundreds of oil drilling and seismic surveys operations in the Gulf of Mexico without carrying out the analyses required by law to assess the impact on marine mammals and endangered species.
Why it matters: By failing to carry out the scientific analyses, the DOI failed to include science in a process that is needed to ensure the protection and survival of aquatic species.
From January 2009 to May 2010, the Department of the Interior (DOI) approved hundreds of oil drilling and seismic survey operations in the Gulf of Mexico without conducting required scientific analyses examining the impact on marine mammals and endangered species. Specifically, the DOI approved three lease sales, more than 100 seismic surveys, and more than 300 drilling operations without obtaining the permits required under two congressional laws.
Both laws, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, state that if an entity like an oil company wants to carry out an operation that could kill or harm of marine mammals or endangered species, then they must obtain a permit from federal agencies. During the permit consideration process, federal agencies conduct a scientific analysis that examine the extent that the operation could result in killing, harming, or harassing of these protected species. If the analysis shows that the operation can severely affect the well-being of the protected species, then measures are put in place that limit the operation’s impact on these protected species or the entity is denied the permit and the operation cannot go through.
By bypassing the permitting process and directly approving hundreds of oil and gas operations, the DOI removed science from a process that normally requires it and endangered the survival of marine species that live in the Gulf of Mexico and are known to be harmed by seismic surveys like whales and dolphins.