Houston, TX, US, June 29, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) hails the introduction of the Streamlining Environmental Approvals Act of 2017 (SEA Act) by Congressman Mike Johnson (LA-04). The IAGC Director of Regulatory and Governmental Affairs, Dustin Van Liew issued the following statement of support:
“The International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) fully supports the SEA Act of 2017, addressing many of the inadequacies and misapplications of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) to industries and projects for which it was never designed to regulate. The MMPA was enacted to address significant declines in some species of marine mammals caused by overfishing and overhunting.
“Today, in the midst of stable and increasing marine mammal populations, the SEA Act will provide a much-needed common-sense approach to ensure that critical activities and projects such as coastal restoration, offshore energy and mineral exploration and military operations can move forward. This important piece of legislation will provide certainty in the application process, in line with the original intent of the MMPA. By setting reasonable deadlines, the Act will ensure the regulatory process will adhere to existing statutory timelines to prevent future applications for MMPA authorizations from unwarranted and inexcusable delays.
“In addition, the Act recognizes the success of the MMPA as the highest standard for marine mammal conservation and ensures that other environmental review processes that provide no additional benefit, nor a higher threshold of review, cannot be used to unnecessarily stall the permitting of offshore activities that pose no threat of harm to marine life populations.
“The IAGC welcomes Representative Johnson’s foresight and the leadership of the 115th Congress in addressing MMPA flaws, an issue which has persisted for decades.”
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About the IAGC
The IAGC represents more than 125 member companies worldwide from all segments of the geophysical industry and is the only trade organization solely dedicated to representing the industry. It is the leader in geophysical technical and operations expertise and for more than 45 years, the IAGC has worked to optimize the business and regulatory climate and enhances public understanding to support a strong, viable geophysical industry essential to discovering and delivering the world’s energy resources.
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