To the Editor:

Seismic airguns could be the East Coast’s next big threat. In fact, the federal government is currently considering allowing their use to search for offshore oil and gas deposits in an area twice the size of California, stretching all the way from Delaware to Florida.

The process consists of shooting extremely loud blasts of compressed air 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine through the ocean and miles under the seafloor every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for days.

The government’s own estimates that such testing could kill 138,500 whales and dolphins.

Seismic airguns can cause temporary and permanent hearing loss, drive animals from their homes, disrupt mating and force animals to become stranded on beaches.

The testing and the potential for future drilling also threaten commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as tourism and coastal recreation.

It’s also important to note that the Atlantic has been off limits to drilling for more than 30 years. And with minimal oil reserves, and drilling at least five years away, seismic airgun testing off the East Coast is an unnecessary insult to everyone and everything.

Given the severity of this issue, we thought you might be interested in editorializing while there’s still time to stop it.

Dustin Cranor
communications director
U.S. Campaigns
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.