1 DR. MACIOLEK: On the other hand the Georges Bank monitoring 



2 program--the first samples were taken a week before drilling started. 



3 That is too close. If you do not understand the processes you need 



4 longer than a week lead time. 



5 DR. COOPER: Actually, the samples were taken about 14 months 



6 before. 



7 DR. MACIOLEK: Those samples are not part of the MMS Georges Bank 



8 Monitoring Program. 



9 DR. COOPER: They are a very important part of the whole study. 



10 Where some studies have gotten started before MMS shifted out of first 



11 gear. 



12 DR. GRASSLE: I like the word "to occur," as well, because 



13 planning gets to have a technical meaning at times, too, and you find 



14 bigger problems, 



15 MR. VILD: That is right, because we do talk about the planning 



16 area, and it is every single bit of federally-owned real estate out 



17 there. 



18 DR. GRASSLE: Okay, so we have that one. 



19 DR. KRAEUTER: Or you could put in something like "sufficient lead 



20 time to establish pre-drilling activities" or something. You could put 



21 something nebulous like that, "with sufficient lead time to establish 



22 pre-drilling conditions." 



23 DR. VALENTINE: So how does it read now? Have we got something 



24 written down? 



25 DR. MACIOLEK: I wrote it down. 



26 DR. GRASSLE: "If drilling activity is to occur in proximity to a 



27 canyon boundary in the North Atlantic or Middle Atlantic areas, 



28 processes associated with potential impacts should be studied." 



29 DR. VALENTINE: What about the lead time? Sufficient lead time? 



30 DR. MACIOLEK: Is that clear enough about what we mean? 



31 (Simultaneous discussion.) 



32 DR. GRASSLE: I do not think we can do better than that. To 



33 really be sure we should to start now. 



429 



