341 



I have divided my statement into the organization and responsi- 

 bilities of the task force, its interactions with other groups, its 

 design and usefulness, prospective changes in the program, and the 

 costs to date. 



To summarize what has taken place, I would note that eight 

 wells, exploratory wells, have been drilled in Georges Bank. They 

 have all been dry wells. We have made baseline studies; we have 

 monitored the drilling; and we have determined to the extent we 

 can, on the information available, the effects of the drilling fluids 

 and the cuttings. 



Mr. D' Amours. Let me interrupt you just a moment. This is a 

 public hearing. I want to know if everybody can hear. 



Excuse me. Go ahead. 



Mr. Beller. I appreciate my statement being put into the record, 

 so I will try to summarize as briefly as I can. 



Insofar as the organization and responsibilities of the task force 

 are concerned, the task force was set up by charter in October 



1979. The charter was signed by the Department of the Interior, 

 the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection 

 Agency. 



The work of the task force was to advise the Department of the 

 Interior, through the supervisor of the Geological Survey, on pru- 

 dent environmental control of the drilling. 



We have held all our meetings of the bological task force in the 

 open, and we have sought to involve every group with responsibil- 

 ities or interests in Georges Bank. I believe we have succeeded. 



The design of the monitoring program was started in February 



1980. Its final draft was completed in April 1981. 



I believe the program can be best understood and probably ap- 

 preciated if I can refer to the diagram on the easel to your left. 



This is a diagram showing essentially Georges Bank and the top- 

 ographical contour lines. Georges Bank is this area. It is a plateau 

 from about 3 meters to 200 meters, about the size of Connecticut 

 and Massachusetts combined. There is a clockwise gyre there. And 

 that has dictated how we put our various stations for samplings. 



We have a total of 46 stations on and around Georges Bank. 

 These stations were divided into two sets: Stations to get immedi- 

 ate readings on what is happening, cite specific stations; and sta- 

 tions to determine regional readings, that is the long-term effects, 

 effects that might stretch out beyond Georges Bank. 



In order effectively to arrange these stations, we have to have a 

 control. So what we said was this: We will take stations — and here 

 are three regional stations — at Transect I, which is east of lease 

 sale 42, which would be the control. Presumably none of the dis- 

 charge, except if it turns around, will reach Transect I. 



Transect II goes right through lease sale 42 and would tell us 

 what is happening during drilling on the sites. 



Transect III is downstream. 



This in effect would give us a very close feel of what is occurring 

 in the vicinity of sale 42. 



As you notice, from the clockwise spiral, there could be areas of 

 deposition, that is, that the discharges would be carried down- 

 stream to some-sink. It is hypothesized that the sink would be the 

 mud patch, which I believe is station 13. We put a station there. 



