Feds plan surveys to aid drilling

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it is moving forward on seismic surveys in the Atlantic Ocean, the first step toward offshore drilling in a region where it has been blocked for decades.

The Interior Department said it is reviewing six applications by energy companies that were rejected by the Obama administration.

Environmental groups and many East Coast lawmakers oppose the surveys, saying loud sounds from seismic air guns could hurt marine life.

The oil and gas industry has pushed for the surveys, which map potential drilling sites for oil and natural gas. No surveys have been conducted in the midand south-Atlantic regions for at least 30 years.

The regions, as defined by the Interior Department, stretch from northern Florida to Delaware. Any new drilling activity is expected to be limited to the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

President Trump signed an executive order last month to expand drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, part of his promise to unleash the nation’s energy reserves in an effort to reduce imports of foreign oil.

Trump’s order reversed an action by former President Barack Obama and faces fierce opposition from environmental activists and many Democrats, who say offshore drilling harms whales, walruses and other wildlife, and exacerbates global warming.

The Interior Department said the surveys are needed to update information about the Outer Continental Shelf that was gathered more than 30 years ago, “when technology was not as advanced as today.”

Data from seismic surveys also assists officials in determining fair market value of offshore resources.