Effects of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic Ocean

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) described and analyzed the potential impacts to the human environment related to oil and gas industry offshore exploration activities (e.g., seismic surveys and exploratory drilling activities) in the U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Alaska.

This EIS was intended to assist National Marine Fisheries Service in its Marine Mammal Protection Act  decision-making process related to projected requests for incidental take authorizations in the U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi seas for future years; may be used by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to analyze the environmental impacts for the approval of geological and geophysical permitted activities or as a tiering document for future, site-specific oil and gas activities; and may fulfill BOEMRE statutory mandates for proposed exploratory drilling projects.