Lad Handelman
Peter Howorth
Niels K. Winsor |
MARINE
MAMMAL
CONSULTING GROUP SUCCESS
Background on MMCG's
Role in Protecting Wildlife
During Various Sensitive Projects Off The California Coast
Over the past decade, the Marine Mammal Consulting Group
(MMCG) has been involved in numerous major, sensitive
projects involving the use of explosives or other potentially
hazardous operations off the California Coast. MMCG has
been consistently selected to design and implement wildlife
protection plans for such projects. Many of these projects
have been highly visible to the public, readily accessible
to media and public alike, and well-publicized. No complaints
have ever been made by the public or from environmental
groups during any MMCG project. No impacts have been observed
on any marine mammal during such projects, despite the
unprecedented scrutiny and high visibility of such projects.
MMCG has earned the respect
of the regulatory agencies because of this record of successes.
MMCG has also earned the respect of industry, the military
and of various governments because the projects were carried
out with no complaints from the public or costly delays
caused by environmental groups. Finally, MMCG has earned
the respect of environmental groups because of its genuine
concern for wildlife and record of successful wildlife
protection.
Some of MMCG’s principals have been involved in various
environmental organizations and have received widespread
recognition for their contributions to environmental quality.
While this may seem to be an unusual qualification for
such a company, the genuine commitment MMCG has for wildlife
has in fact helped sensitive projects be completed on
time, without complaint. Ultimately, everyone concerned
is satisfied because industry, government, the public,
and environmental groups do not want to see wildlife impacted
by such projects.
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The
following outlines several highly visible, extremely sensitive
projects MMCG has recently completed off the California Coast.
1994: U.S. Navy ship shock trials of Aegis class destroyer
USS John Paul Jones.
To test the integrity of each new class of vessel and its systems,
the U.S. Navy detonated 10,000-pound explosive charges at progressively
closer distances to the ship to simulate a near miss. This also
taught sailors how to respond under such circumstances, thus ensuring
the safety of our military personnel. The project budget was over
$1 million a day.
MMCG was tasked to establish and maintain a moving four-by-eight-mile
safety zone for wildlife 200 miles off the California coast as
the destroyer moved through the test area. MMCG’s approach
was so successful that it has been applied toward the ship shock
tests of the USS Seawolf, a new class of submarine. These tests
took place off the east coast.
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1995, 1996, 1998, 2000,
2001, and 2002:
Remedial repairs of oil and gas pipelines, power
cables, and a pier.
Until recently,
Chevron operated an onshore refinement facility and pier to
service offshore oil platforms. The platforms and facilities
were recently purchased by other oil companies. Oil and gas
pipelines and 16,000-volt power cables extend offshore from
land at this site.
A harbor seal rookery exists within 20 yards of the pipelines
and cables, and within 100 yards of the pier. This rookery
is overlooked by a bluff which is accessible to the Carpinteria
Seal Watch, a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting the
seal colony, as well as to the media. The observation point
is 20 yards away from the rookery.
Periodically, the pipelines, cables and pier need repairs. MMCG
has consistently been selected to perform wildlife mitigation
as these repairs are made. Despite the high visibility of this
site to the public and to the media, no complaints have ever
been registered about wildlife protection during these projects.
No significant impacts have occurred to the seals as a result
of the repairs.
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1996: Explosive removal
of the legs of four oil platforms off Santa Barbara.
In 1996, Chevron decommissioned four oil platforms in State
waters off the Santa Barbara coast. This project involved extensive
use of explosives to sever the platform legs below the mudline.
The project was highly publicized, and the public and media
had access to the sites by boat and aircraft, plus the sites
were observable by land.
MMCG was selected to protect wildlife during this project. The
operation was carried out with no complaints from the public
and with no impacts to marine mammals.
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1997: South Bay Ocean Outfall piling removal
blasting project.
The City of San Diego removed a temporary work platform used
to connect a huge sewer pipeline off Imperial Beach, California.
This pipeline came from an onshore facility used to process
sewage from Mexico as part of a joint U.S.-Mexican effort to
reduce sewage pollution. The platform legs had to be severed
below the mudline with explosives.
Again, MMCG was selected to protect wildlife. This project was
also easily accessible to the public by aircraft and boat and
was also readily visible from shore. The project was carried
out with no complaints and no impacts to marine mammals.
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1998: Mobil Seacliff Pier Complex Decommissioning
Project.
Mobil decommissioned a pier and wharf complex northwest of Ventura,
California. The project involved the removal of 21 large, steel-reinforced
concrete caissons with explosives. The closest demolition was
within 100 yards of California Highway 101. It was readily viewable
from the seaside communities of Mussel Shoals, half a mile west
of the site, and La Conchita, half a mile east. It was also
readily viewable from the highway, where vehicles were allowed
to pull over to the side of the road.
MMCG was selected to protect wildlife. This operation was also
carried out with no complaints from the public and with no impacts
to marine mammals.
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1999: Preparation of the Marine Life
Mitigation Plan
section of the Environmental Impact Report for the
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Replacement Project.
The project as first proposed involved demolishing bedrock areas
above and below water in preparation for new bridge supports,
then demolishing the old bridge supports. Over 50 tons of explosives
were proposed for this process. MMCG developed an acoustic model
of the potential effects of the explosives which helped planners
decide to use other methods for clearing away the rock and old
pier supports.
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