1 DR. AURAND: MMS' emphasis right now is on long-term impacts 



2 associated with production and development because, if you look at where 



3 most of the controversy remains, it is on chronic Tow-level, long-term 



4 impacts, not really what is cuttings to any extent anymore. 



5 So in most areas where there is production development we are 



6 trying to do monitoring-type studies. We have one already underway in 



7 California. We have an attempt to design some in the Gulf of 



8 MexicO'-although that is much more difficult because of the situation 



9 with the length of time that we should have been there. 



10 DR. COOPER: You are not starting off with a pristine environment 



11 down there. 



12 DR. AURAND: No, but we have a plan in place for implementation in 



13 the Arctic in the Beaufort Sea, and should, in that case, even 



14 exploration begin, but certainly should production and development 



15 begin. 



16 So it is reasonable to presume that if there were production there 



17 would be some effort to look at the long-term consequences of that 



18 production--not meaning yearly monitoring for 30 years necessarily, but 



19 certainly up through the placement of the platform and what happens 



20 immediately after that. 



21 Exactly what form that would take I cannot say, but it is not an 



22 unreasonable thing--and, in fact, depending on what had happened, we may 



23 or may not still think it is important. It depends on what kind of 



24 things we find out at some of the other areas prior to something 



25 happening in New England, if it ever does. 



26 DR. COOPER: I think we ought to go ahead and do this, regardless 



27 of what we find in these other areas. 



28 DR. AURAND: Production and development seems to us to be the 



29 place where we want the most information now, and that is not consistent 



30 with what you just said. It is also not a statement that we necessarily 



31 would do it for one platform in an area. However, clearly that is the 



32 area we are most concerned about. I do not think we would have a 



33 problem with that issue. 



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