had been obtained since the last OCS lease sale in the 

 Beaufort Sea; the new information indicated that a two-month 

 seasonal drilling restriction, rather than the seven-month 

 restriction included as a stipulation in an earlier sale, 

 was adequate to assure that bowhead whales would not be 

 affected adversely by the proposed action; and a Biological 

 Task Force had been constituted to provide advice on biological 

 surveys and lease stipulations needed to assure that wildlife 

 and wildlife habitat would not be affected adversely by the 

 proposed action. 



The DEIS did not include a complete description or 

 discussion of the new information on bowhead whale migrations 

 or the rationale for reducing the seasonal drilling restriction 

 from seven to two months. Neither did it provide a complete 

 assessment of the possible impacts of the proposed action on 

 polar bears or a clear description of the responsibilities 

 and authorities of the Biological Task Force. The Commission 

 pointed out these deficiencies in a 12 February 1982 letter 

 commenting on the DEIS and suggested ways whereby they could 

 be corrected. 



Proposed OCS Lease Sale #70 

 St. George Basin, Alaska 



Proposed OCS Lease Sale #70, tentatively scheduled for 

 February 1983, consists of 479 blocks (approximately 2.7 

 million acres) of submerged lands in the St. George Basin, 

 Alaska. The Commission, in consultation with its Committee 

 of Scientific Advisors, reviewed the Draft Environmental 

 Impact Statement on the proposed lease sale and, by letter 

 of 9 April 1982, provided comments to the Bureau of Land 

 Management. 



In its comments, the Commission indicated that the DEIS 

 should be modified to: (a) provide additional information 

 concerning the possible effects of the proposed action on 

 the North Pacific fur seal, the Pribilof Island natives, and 

 the ability of the Federal Government to meet commitments 

 related to the Interim Convention on the Conservation of the 

 North Pacific Fur Seal; (b) consider the possible effects of 

 the proposed action on the Bering Sea walrus population; and 

 (c) identify research and monitoring programs needed to 

 provide a basis for assessing the effectiveness of proposed 

 mitigation measures and for assuring that OCS oil and gas 

 activities do not adversely affect marine mammals or other 

 components of the marine ecosystem. The Commission also 

 noted that: a major oil spill in the southern part of the 

 proposed lease sale area could pose a major threat to marine 



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