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Coast Guard publishes draft Arctic EA Anticipates ramped up shore, air and on-water operations for monitoring and policing the US Arctic seas around northern Alaska Alan Bailey Petroleum News
In anticipation of heightening its presence in the Arctic, the U.S. Coast Guard has published a draft environmental assessment for a planned ramp up of its Arctic operations.
“The proposed action is to conduct increased operations and training exercises in the Arctic to meet Coast Guard mission responsibilities due to the increase of national and international activities in the area,” the environmental assessment says.
The environmental assessment says that the Coast Guard has only been conducting routine exercises and training in the Arctic for the past six years, although the agency’s icebreaker, the Healy, has been operating in the Arctic for more than a decade. But the agency now wants to establish a consistent and reliable Arctic presence, to fulfill the its Arctic strategy and to meet its legally mandated Arctic role.
Under the terms of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Coast Guard, as a federal agency, has to conduct an environmental assessment for its proposed new activities, to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of its operations. The draft assessment has concluded that the activities will not have a significant environmental impact. If the assessment were to determine the likelihood of a significant impact, the Coast Guard would need to prepare an environmental impact statement before it could make a determination on whether to proceed with its plans.
Public comments on the draft environmental assessment are required by May 28.
Onshore operations Onshore, the Coast Guard wants to establish forward operating and logistics locations to serve as temporary bases to support its seasonal surge of Arctic sea and air operations between mid-March and mid-November. These locations would include Barrow, and could potentially include Nome, Kotzebue, Port Clarence and various air strips and distant early warning sites, the environmental assessment says.
And, as part of its Arctic presence, the Coast Guard would inspect commercial and non-commercial vessels in major Alaska ports, to ensure legal compliance, and to enforce laws relating to drugs, migrants and marine safety. The environmental assessment says that the Coast Guard would also discuss boating safety with recreational boaters.
In terms of air operations, the Coast Guard would conduct air searches for people or vessels missing offshore. And the agency would conduct routine air patrols and Arctic domain awareness flights, to gather information about coastal erosion and Arctic ice, and to collect other scientific data, as well as documenting human contacts north of the Arctic Circle.
Marine operations Offshore searches would typically involve the use of Coast Guard vessels. And the Coast Guard would operate up to two icebreakers to support search-and-rescue missions, to support law enforcement, and to support oceanographic and meteorological research. The Coast Guard would routinely patrol Arctic waters, to enforce the Marine Mammals Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, and to prevent foreign poaching of U.S. fishery and mineral resources, the environmental assessment says. The Coast Guard would also perform a role of establishing and enforcing safety zones around oil exploration drilling activities, and around other activities such as marine salvage operations.
And, to support its envisaged offshore activities, the Coast Guard is considering the establishment of at-sea berthing and support facilities, including the possible use of ocean-capable barges and a mobile base, the environmental assessment says.
The Coast Guard plans to conduct a number of training exercises, including practicing the towing of a distressed ship and simulating the evacuation of a ship. Small-boat training would include activities such as the launching and maneuvering of cutter-deployed boats, and the air transportation of shore-based boats. The Coast Guard would also conduct oil spill response training exercises, the environmental assessment says.
Community engagement The environmental assessment says that the Coast Guard views engagement with tribes and local communities in the Arctic as vital to its Arctic mission. This engagement includes establishing relationships with local governments and community leaders; conducting education and training outreach for boating safety; and sustaining relationships with federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native organizations.
And the Coast Guard’s proposed heightened Arctic presence, rather than having adverse environmental impacts, would instead have the effect of protecting the environment, given that the absence of an effective Coast Guard presence would open the door for potential violations of environmental laws and for ineffective responses to environmental emergencies, the environmental assessment says. Moreover, the Coast Guard presence could enhance environmental protection by enforcing fisheries law, ensuring the safe flow of marine traffic and ensuring faster responses to emergencies, the environmental assessment says.
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