439 



There are two other things that the task force will have to begin 

 fairly soon. One is the fact that if lease sale 82, or the February 

 1984 lease offering as it is now called, takes place in an3rwhere 

 near its presently proposed form, we are looking at drilling on the 

 central and northern edges of the bank, areas previously unleased. 



I leave to different forums my comments on the wisdom of that 

 leasing. If that happens, the task force will have a new area of 

 Georges Bank to consider in addition to the deep water. And the 

 task force will also be considering general permitting under the 

 process that EPA is considering. 



I am quite hopeful that the task force's success will be carried 

 into the future and be built upon. 



I have only two major negative observations from my experience. 

 One is the one Pat just mentioned, about the representation on the 

 task force. 



I think there has been some confusion in agencies at times as to 

 which level, headquarters or regional, should be the appropriate 

 representation. I am well known fcr being loath to interfere with 

 Federal decisionmaking, but I do think that the closer to the actual 

 management decisions a person is, the better he will serve both his 

 agency and the task force. 



The other negative observation is the status of the States on the 

 task force. We are nonvoting members. We are nonvoting members 

 principally because of the strictures of the Federal Advisory Com- 

 mittee Act which, were we made members of the task force, would 

 bring the task force under, a whole set of bureaucratic require- 

 ments about Federal Register notice, publishes minutes, and so on. 



I have some sympathy for keeping the task force's minutes and 

 proceedings as nonbureaucratic as possible. I would suggest that if 

 amendments to the Advisory Committee Act were within the realm 

 of possibility, a modification to allow the States to participate 

 might be appropriate. 



I mentioned at the outset I would leave the question of whether 

 the task force had quieted the controversy surrounding Georges 

 Bank drilling to the end. I think it is fair to say that neither the 

 task force nor any other agency has quieted that controversy. It is 

 still going on today. 



I do think, however, the task force has made a major contribu- 

 tion to help make the search for and perhaps eventually the pro- 

 duction of oil and gas on Georges Bank, if there is any, a responsi- 

 ble endeavor. 



Thank you. 



Mr. D' Amours. Thank you. 



[Statement of Mr. Colgan follows:] 



