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tic research programs and begin developing a comprehensive view 

 of the important environmental questions surrounding the conduct 

 of oil and gas activities in the North Atlantic. 



The BTF can make recommendations for consideration prior to a 

 lease sale, in addition to recommending postsale monitoring stud- 

 ies. Specifically, the charter gives the BTF the authority to: 



First, identify, with justification, zones of special biological sig- 

 nificance, identified zone, including but not limited to benthic pop- 

 ulations or habitats and temporal finfish populations and spawning 

 areas; 



Second, recommend to the supervisor, within 90 days following 

 the lease sale, criteria for the evaluation of adverse biological ef- 

 fects on the North Atlantic ecosystem, including where feasible the 

 establishment of standards which, if not met, will initiate the ap- 

 plication of previously agreed-upon mitigating measures, including 

 termination or modification as necessary of the activities; 



Third, recommend to the supervisor mitigating measures de- 

 signed to protect biological resources which may be, or are being, 

 adversely affected by oil and gas operations. 



Fourth, advise the supervisor of any adverse impacts on the 

 marine environment from oil and gas operations. 



Execution of these responsibilities requires continued coordina- 

 tion and communication among the Federal agencies represented 

 on the task force. All of the task force agencies conduct or support 

 research programs in the North Atlantic. Two agencies, MMS and 

 EPA, have regulatory responsibilities for oil and gas activities, and 

 a third, NOAA, has regulatory authority for the conservation and 

 management of the living marine resources in the North Atlantic. 



The delineation of areas of special biological significance can be 

 done only with the participation of the NMFS. The development of 

 mitigating measures designed to protect biological resources must 

 involve MMS personnel from the operations division, as well as in- 

 volving members of the scientific community. While the BTF ad- 

 vises the MMS regional supervisor, EPA's involvement can result 

 in an NPDES permit that incorporates a particular mitigating 

 measure developed by the task force. 



Finally, the responsibility of recommending criteria for evaluat- 

 ing adverse biological effects on the North Atlantic ecosystem 

 cannot be successfully carried out without the involvement of the 

 task force representatives, the scientific community, and the State 

 representatives. 



To facilitate communication among the task force representa- 

 tives and the States, the scientific community, and the environ- 

 mental community, and to sustain and improve the effectiveness of 

 the biological task force, Massachusetts recommends that the rep- 

 resentative from each of the participating agencies, one, come from 

 the district or regional office; two, be involved in either the devel- 

 opment or the review of permits regulating oil and gas activities; 

 three, have a scientific or technical background; and finally, four, 

 have the time to commit to the task force. 



Massachusetts also recommends that the BTF review available 

 environmental information on the area proposed for sale in Febru- 

 ary 1984 and make appropriate recommendations on zones of spe- 



