1 DR. GRASSLE: Okay. Actually, I think that maybe that "major 



2 . short-term impacts" should be a new paragraph. Then the next sentence 



3 should be "Planktonic eggs and larvae of canyon fauna would be most 



4 vulnerable. However, the magnitude of the impact is too situationally 



5 dependent to quantify." 



6 DR. BOTHNER: Good. 



7 DR. GRASSLE: So "major short-term impacts" starts that paragraph. 



8 Okay. Now we are down to "J," gas blowouts. 



9 DR. KRAEUTER: I think just the first comment gives insufficient 



10 information. That is what all those other things say. 



11 DR. VALENTINE: What does gas carry in the way of oil and 



12 hydrocarbon contamination? 



13 MR. VILD: I think there is some question about the condensates 



14 and I do not really know what that carries, but we in the North Atlantic 



15 have always seen these environmental impact statements talk about oil 



16 spills and then almost in the same breath say that, however, there is 



17 very small likelihood that there is oil in the North Atlantic since the 



18 problem seems to be a gas problem. 



19 Our response has always been, "Let's talk about a gas blowout or 



20 gas condensates." Just the release of gas condensates, if that ever 



21 happens chronically, I am really not aware of it. 



22 DR. VALENTINE: The sense I got here is that during an oil spill a 



23 lot of the stuff volatilizes right away, anyway. During a gas blowout, 



24 I mean, wouldn't that even be--wouldn't most of the stuff be quickly 



25 volatilized? 



26 DR. KRAEUTER: The point is that there are hydrocarbons with the 



27 gas, it is not just the gas--much smaller amounts, obviously. What Jim 



28 Ray said was that gas blowouts tend to be at the surface or on the 



29 platform itself--so wear your hardhat. 



30 (Simultaneous discussion.) 



31 DR. GRASSLE: Maybe it should be something like, "No information 



32 exists to suggest special impacts from this source." 



33 DR. VALENTINE: Yes. "No comment" is not good. 



411 



