Protect Belugas from Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal
By Mark J. Palmer
The lower Cook Inlet of Alaska, a vast area of shallow water and mudflats, hosts an endangered population of beluga whales. For a variety of reasons, including environmental pollution, ocean noise, and exploitation, this population is not doing well. The population was listed as Endangered by the US National Marine Fisheries Service in 2008.
Now, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has proposed a massive offshore oil lease sale for Cook Inlet, guaranteed to bring noise, oil pollution, and large-scale ship traffic to the area.
The Lease Sale 258 is slated to offer a million acres of Cook Inlet to oil companies for bids. Once leases are issued by the federal government, they are expected to last up to 40 years for industrial development of offshore oil and gas.
Development would include seismic exploration for oil reserves (blasting immense sound waves into the Cook Inlet bottom to record echoes reflecting the geologic strata beneath), increased ship traffic, the building of undersea pipelines and oil platforms with attendant construction and drilling noise, dumping of drilling muds containing toxic chemicals and heavy metals, and the prospect of catastrophic oil spills along with frequent smaller spills from accidents in transfer of oil.
The beluga population numbered around 1,700 animals in 1979, but has crashed to an estimated 269 in 2018. Hunting by Native subsistence groups caused severe declines of the population, but such killings have been stopped. Unfortunately, the beluga population has not increased, although it may now be stable.
A small population of beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet are considered Endangered. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Environmentalists in Alaska are urging the BOEM and the Biden Administration to cancel Lease Sale 258 and permanently protect the Cook Inlet from future consideration for offshore oil leasing.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Sign the petition to stop Lease Sale 258!
Write comments to the federal government urging cancelation of Lease Sale 258. Deadline for Comments is Monday, December 13, 2021!
Write Your Comments to the Federal Government Here.
Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available Here.
Tips on Writing Comments from Alaska Cook Inletkeeper Here.
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We need your support to address destructive offshore oil leases, ocean noise, and plastic pollution that threaten the lives of whales, dolphins, and countless other marine animals. Can you help with a generous donation to the work of the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute to protect whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes? Thank you for your support!
