Department of Commerce Lets Ruling Stand
Commerce Secretary William M. Daley has decided to let stand an earlier Commerce Department ruling in support of the state of North Carolina's objections to exploratory drilling off the state's coast. Mobil Exploration & Producing U. S., Inc., requested the administrative records on their appeal of the North Carolina objections be reopened so they could include two studies the company felt would address issues relevant to the case. The rulings and appeals are connected with "consistency" provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). Under the CZMA, all activities conducted or authorized by federal agencies within a participating state's coastal zone must be consistent with applicable state enforceable policies.
DOC Lets Offshore Oil Exploration Ruling Stand
Commerce Secretary William M. Daley has decided to let stand an earlier Commerce Department ruling in support of the state of North Carolina's objections to exploratory drilling off the state's coast. Mobil Exploration & Producing U. S., Inc., requested that the administrative records on their appeal of the North Carolina objections be reopened so they could include two studies the company felt would address issues relevant to the case. The rulings and appeals are connected with "consistency" provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act. Under the CZMA, all activities conducted or authorized by federal agencies within a participating state's coastal zone must be consistent with applicable state enforceable policies.
Sea Grant Panel Members Appointed
Commerce Secretary William M. Daley, has appointed three new members to the National Sea Grant Review Panel, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Appointed to the 15-member panel are: Robin Alden, former Maine Commissioner of Marine Resources; Robert Duce, professor of oceanography and atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University; and Nathaniel Robinson, a senior executive in Wisconsin's state government serving as administrator of the Division of Energy and Intergovernmental Relations. Composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds in marine affairs, the panel advises the secretary, the undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere, and the director of the National Sea Grant College Program on scientific and administrative policy.
