Webinar: Acoustic Permitting for Ocean Activities

Join Stoel Rives partner Ryan Steen for Environmental Law Institute’s webinar Acoustic Permitting for Ocean Activities on October 2, 2014, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

How much sound is safe for marine mammals? Seismic testing and other acoustic activities in the ocean have been a contentious issue in Alaska and the West Coast for many years, resulting in federal marine mammal incidental take authorizations. Now, similar authorizations are being considered in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and other regions because of the need to protect delicate threatened and endangered marine species.

These authorizations, issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the requirements of NEPA and other statutes, are meant to protect marine life, which can be sensitive to sound. The authorizations involve the intersection of complex legal requirements and developing marine science, and they present many legal, technical, and scientific challenges for agencies, the regulated community, and conservation interests.

The expert panel will address ocean acoustics and the cutting-edge science and law in this area, including existing and emerging procedures in acoustic permitting for ocean activities as well as developments in national ocean policy. This upcoming seminar will prove valuable for all who are interested in marine science and law.

Moderator:

Kathryn Mengerink, Senior Attorney & Co-Director, Ocean Program Environmental Law Institute

Panelists:

Julia M. (Jolie) Harrison, Incidental Take Coordinator, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

Michael Jasny, Senior Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council

Brandon Southall, President and Senior Scientist, Southall Environmental Associates

Ryan Steen, Partner, Stoel Rives LLP