mutual responsibilities in the actual performance and management of 

 environmental studies [87]. 



Third, the Service may participate with BLM as a member of the 

 OCS Technical Proposal Evaluation Committee and monitor study elements 

 of particular interest. 



The Service has pressed for environmental studies that generate 

 comprehensive study of nearshore and onshore coastal ecosystems that may 

 be affected by OCS development [88]. A second principal concern is 

 inventories of seabirds. Special studies designed to determine impacts 

 of development activities also may be incorporated as part of the OCS 

 environmental studies program. For instance, experiments may establish 

 cause and effect relationships as well as the toxicity of contaminants 

 and allow development of mitigating procedures. The FWS has suggested 

 studies to develop methods for dispersing waterbirds from oil spill 

 sites, moderate impacts of dredging and turbidity on submerged sea 

 grass beds, and evaluate the chronic effects of sublethal levels of 

 petroleum hydrocarbons on marine birds [89]. 



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