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Mr. Studds. Thank you. Mr. Pritchard. 



Mr. Pritchard. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess what we are 

 really talking about is risk. First of all, you probably have been out 

 on these rigs since you deal with it? You have not been on the rig? 



Ms. CoMPTON. No, I have not. I have only been here about 3 

 months. I hope to get out. 



Mr. Studds. Mr. Breaux will take you fishing any time. 



Mr. Pritchard. I said oil rig, not fishing. 



This drilling mud — how much in quantity is produced each day 

 in an average drilling operation? 



Dr. Bolton. They probably discharge between 100 and 200 bar- 

 rels of mud a day. 



Mr. Pritchard. Two hundred barrels of mud a day in the aver- 

 age drilling platform? 



Dr. Bolton. Exploratory. 



Mr. Pritchard. That is a little counter to what I have been told 

 but 



Dr. Bolton. The discharges are probably going to be larger on 

 Georges Bank than perhaps you would see in the Gulf of Mexico 

 because it is considerably different mud type that will be used. It is 

 a lighter weight mud. 



Mr. Pritchard. If we followed the chairman's approach here we 

 really would not allow any drilling offshore until we have deter- 

 mined conclusively that these muds are not harmful or alterna- 

 tives are available. What can you do with the discharge besides 

 dumping it in the water. 



Ms. Compton. Well, you can barge the mud to either land dispos- 

 al site or to an ocean dumping site and that is what the operators 

 of some of the rigs are doing in Santa Barbara right now and will 

 have to do. 



Mr. Pritchard. You mean they haul it out to a safer place in the 

 water, less dangerous? 



Ms. Compton. That is correct. 



Mr. Pritchard. It would be silly to take it to shore? 



Ms. Compton. Not necessarily. There may be safe places on land 

 to dispose of the muds, whereas they would have a significant 

 adverse impact on the environment, the marine environment such 

 as the Flower Gardens. 



Mr. Pritchard. I see. When do you think you would have the 

 answers to the chairman's questions? 



Ms. Compton. With regard to whether we have sufficient data to 

 issue permits in the Georges Bank? Well, we are reviewing those 

 applications right now and we are awaiting the data from industry 

 on the muds that they intend to use. We expect to propose the 

 draft permits in December, so we should have the data by late 

 November or early December. 



Mr. Pritchard. But as I understand his statement, some of these 

 things cannot be decided for a long time. 



Ms. Compton. One approach to the chronic problem is to issue 

 short-term permits. We are contemplating issuing only 1-year per- 

 mits in the Georges Bank. That is one option, that is 



Mr. Pritchard. You mean a 1-year permit for a person to estab- 

 lish a drilling rig? 



Ms. Compton. Well, that is all the company has asked for. 



