Comment extended for offshore permit

The Environmental Protection Agency has extended the public comment period for its proposed new general permit for wastewater discharges from geotechnical survey operations in federal waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. The agency says that, in response to a request from the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, it has moved the deadline for comments from Sept. 15 to Sept. 30.

EPA originally released a draft general permit for geotechnical operations in November 2013. But in response to comments received on that draft, the agency decided to rework the permit and on Aug. 15, 2014, re-proposed the permit, based on a new draft. At that time the agency announced a 30-day period for public comments on changes that it had made to the original draft document.

In parallel with what EPA is doing, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed to issue a similar general permit for the discharge of pollutants from geotechnical survey operations in state waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Petroleum News understands that the public comment period for this permit has already ended and that the department is modifying the permit, based on comments received.

- Alan Bailey