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CHAPTER VII 



OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL AND 

 GAS DEVELOPMENT 



Activities and events associated with exploration and 

 development of offshore oil and gas resources may have 

 direct and indirect effects on marine mammals and the ecosystems 

 of which they are a part. The Minerals Management Service 

 has been delegated responsibility by the Secretary of the 

 Interior under the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 

 as amended, for predicting, mitigating, and detecting the 

 adverse effects of OCS oil and gas development. The National 

 Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 are responsible under the authority of the Marine Mammal 

 Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act for reviewing 

 proposed actions and advising the Minerals Management Service 

 of measures that may be needed to assure that proposed 

 actions will not be to the disadvantage of marine mammals 

 and other wildlife. The Commission reviews the relevant 

 policies and activities of these agencies and recommends 

 actions that appear necessary to conserve marine mammals and 

 their habitats. The Commission's activities in this regard 

 during 1983 are discussed below. 



Proposed OCS Lease Sale #73 

 Offshore Central California 



Lease Sale #73, originally scheduled for October 1983, 

 involves 360 blocks (approximately two million acres) of 

 submerged lands off the coast of central California. The 

 tracts are located 3 to 66 miles offshore in water depths 

 ranging from 50 to more than 1,000 meters. 



At the request of the Minerals Management Service, the 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors, reviewed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

 (DEIS) on the proposed sale and, on 26 April 1983, forwarded 

 its comments and recommendations to the Service. The Commission 

 noted that at least twenty-nine species of marine mammals, 

 including seven species of endangered whales and the threatened 



