cetaceans and pinnipeds that could be affected but did not 

 provide a complete or comprehensive assessment of the pos- 

 sible effects of drilling and related activities on those 

 species. Among other things, the Commission noted that the 

 evaluation did not address the possibility that oil spills 

 could indirectly affect marine mammals by affecting their 

 food supplies and that disturbance from ship and aircraft 

 operations, seismic profiling, drilling, and other related 

 activities, as well as oil spills, could have adverse effects 

 on marine mammals and the ecosystems of which they are a 

 part. 



On 18 December 1986, representatives of the Department 

 of State, the Minerals Management Service, the Coast Guard, 

 the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration, the Commission, and others met to 

 consider issues that should perhaps be raised with the 

 Canadian Government. A follow-up meeting is expected to take 

 place early in January 1987, at which time the group will 

 attempt to identify and, as possible, agree on the critical 

 issues raised by the Canadian proposal and how these should 

 be addressed. 



The Minerals Management Service's Regional Environmental 



Studies Program 



As noted above, the Minerals Management Service is 

 responsible for assessing and mitigating the possible adverse 

 effects of offshore oil and gas exploration and development. 

 To help meet this responsibility, the Service has established 

 Regional Environmental Studies Programs, which are admin- 

 istered by its OCS offices in Metairie, Louisiana; Los 

 Angeles, California; 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 Scien- 

 tific 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 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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