352 



10 



In specific terms, the Department has used the results of the 

 monitoring studies in preparing its "OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale #52 

 Environmental Assessment," published January, 1983; and similarily, for 

 its "Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the February, 1984, North 

 Atlantic Lease Offering." The monitoring results will also be >used to 

 help prepare the final environmental impact statement for the 

 February, 1984 North Atlantic Lease Offering. 



The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made good use of the 

 work of the Task Force. In the spring of 1981, when the BTF was 

 developing its monitoring program. Region I of EPA was formulating 

 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit conditions 

 for oil/gas operators wanting to drill in Georges Bank. Region I 

 concluded that there was insufficient information to determine there 

 would be no unreasonable degradation of the environment as a result of 

 discharges made during exploratory drilling. Additional information was 

 needed, which was similar to that needed by the BTF for its 

 recommendations to the Department of Interior. 



EPA could issue NPDES permits for drilling only if monitoring were 

 conducted to satisfy the agency's information needs. The EPA Region I 

 chose to use the BTF program as the means to acquire the needed data. 

 This avenue was used because of the Department of the Interior's 

 commitment to fund the BTF program, and the scientific consensus that the 



