EPA reconsidering Arctic discharge permit schedule based on comments

Faced with numerous comments on its proposed general permit for wastewater discharges from geotechnical activities in the federal waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, the Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating the comments and may develop a new schedule for issuing the permit, the agency announced March 21. Oil companies typically conduct offshore geotechnical surveys to characterize the nature of the seafloor in an area of planned drilling or offshore infrastructure construction. Compliance with the terms of a general permit would enable a company to conduct surveys without having to seek a specific permit for its operations.

Under the current schedule, the public comment period for the proposed permit ended on Feb, 19, having previously been extended from an original closing date of Jan. 27. EPA now says that some of the information it has received from the public adds to that used in preparing the draft permit and requires further evaluation. Gaining a thorough understanding of the information received will require more time, EPA said.

EPA is developing its permit in coordination with the development by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation of a similar wastewater discharge permit for state waters offshore the Beaufort and Chukchi sea coastlines. Alaska has taken over from the EPA the permitting in Alaska of discharges into U.S. waters — state land extends three nautical miles out from the coast.

—Alan Bailey