much development is likely to occur, and what or where 

 port facilities would be required. 



Because of uncertainties concerning the nature and extent 

 of exploration, development, and related support activities, 

 and their effects on polar bears and other marine mammals, 

 the Commission advised the Department of the Interior, on 6 

 February 1987, that additional studies and assessments should 

 be conducted before the Refuge coastal plain is made available 

 for oil and gas exploration and development. In particular, 

 the Commission advised that further studies are necessary to: 

 determine the numbers of polar bears, bowhead whales, and 

 other marine mammal species that could be affected by explora- 

 tion, development, and related activities; identify the nature 

 of the potential effects, including possible effects on subsis- 

 tence uses of the affected marine mammal populations by Alaska 

 Natives; establish protective restrictions and mitigating 

 actions (if exploration and development is to occur) ; and 

 develop monitoring programs to detect possible unforeseen 

 effects before they reach unacceptable levels. 



The Minerals Management Service's 

 Environmental Studies Program 



As noted above, the Minerals Management Service is respon- 

 sible for assessing and mitigating possible adverse effects 

 of offshore oil and gas exploration and development. To help 

 meet this responsibility, the Service has established an 

 Environmental Studies Program, which is administered regionally 

 by its OCS offices in New Orleans, Louisiana; Los Angeles, Cali- 

 fornia; Anchorage, Alaska; and Vienna, Virginia. The Service 

 also has contracted with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration's Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment 

 to plan and administer the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf 

 Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) . 



To help the Service meet its responsibilities with regard 

 to the conservation and protection of marine mammals, the 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors: reviews and provides comments on regional studies 

 plans, environmental impact statements, and requests for 

 proposals related to marine mammal research developed by the 

 Service; participates, as requested, in meetings of Technical 

 Proposal Evaluation Committees convened by the Service to 

 review research proposals; and helps plan and participates in 

 meetings and workshops to review and coordinate relevant 

 research programs being conducted or planned by the Minerals 

 Management Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service, and other Federal, state, and 

 private agencies and organizations. 



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