Atlantic Permit Application E14 - 00 4 The following document is a Geological and Geophysical (G&G) permit application from WesternGeco LLC to conduct an offshore marine two dimensional ( 2D ) deep penetration seismic survey on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf of the United States . This survey will be conducted offshore South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia . WesternGeco will use one seismic survey vessel to conduct this survey. Marine 2D seismic surveys use an airgun array (active sound source) when acquiring data . The sound waves emitted by the source penetrate the subsurface and are reflected off the different subsurface rock layers back up to receivers towed behind the survey vessel. This type of survey is u sed to acquire subsurface data to study the regional geology over a large area. They are favored for regional work because they can acquire the necessary data quicker and more economically . This is because of the relatively large data acquisition grid size used . Th e information acquired is then used to determine potential areas of interest , as well as areas that are not of interest , for further exploration. The survey data will be acquired following a grid pattern. The outline on the public information map shows the extent of the survey grid with some exaggeration of the actual size and location to help protect survey confidentiality. The survey grid size sailed by the survey vessel depends on several factors, but principally the data resolution required . T ypical 2D seismic survey grid s , for the Atlantic surveys , range from roughly a 2.5 mi x 2.5 mi grid up to a 50 mi x 70 mi grid. This Atlantic G&G permit application will be available for public review and comment on the Regulations.gov web site for a period of 30 calendar days starting on March 30, 2015. The application is placed on Regulations.gov after BOEM has received all of the pertinent application information from the permit applicant and before the completion of BOEM’s environmental review process. As part of BOEM’s environmental review process for G&G permit applications, BOEM will consider potential impacts to local and regional resources. This environmental review process will tier from the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) prepared for G&G activities on the Mid
- Atlantic and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The G&G PEIS described and evaluated the potential environmental impacts associated with reasonably foreseeable G&G survey activities in Federal waters overlying the Mid
- Atlantic and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), including potential effects on many resources such as marine mammals (e.g. north Atlantic right whales), sea turtles, and commercial and re creational fishing. The G&G PEIS also evaluated mitigation measures to reduce potential impacts of G&G activities on marine resources, such as marine mammal exclusion zones near airgun operations, and time
- area closures. BOEM will require permit applicants to comply with applicable mitigation measures based on the results of the site
- specific environmental analysis conducted for each Atlantic G&G permit application. BOEM will review the comments received during the public comment period for this permit appl ications and will take them into consideration during the environmental review process. Please note that the G&G activities proposed under these Atlantic G&G permit applications will also be subject to additional public review and comments as part of the review processes undertaken by both State and Federal agencies. One of the Federal agencies that will review t he proposed activities will be the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS ). The review is required as part of NMFS’ statutory and regulatory obli gations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Its statutes, regulations and guidelines govern NMFS’ authorization processes and public comment review periods. Additionally, States also have an opportunity to review the activities proposed under these per mit applications as part of their federally
- approved Coastal Zone Management Programs (CZMP) if it has been determined that theactivity to be authorized under BOEM’s G&G permit may have an impact on their coastal resources. Please note that each State has its own process for public review and comment under its approved CZMP.

# (i5U C Attachment

1 UNITE D STATE S DEPARTMEN T O F TH E INTERIO R BUREA U O F OCEA N ENERG Y MANAGEMEN T

New Orlean s (Inser t Appropriat e Regiona l Office ) APPLICATIO N FO R PERMI T T O CONDUC T GEOLOGICA L O R GEOPHYSICA L EXPLORATIO N FO R MINERA L RESOURCE S O R SCIENTIFI C RESEARC H

O N TH E OUTE R CONTINENTA L SHEL F (Sectio n 11 , Oute

r Continenta

l ShelfLand s Act

o f Augus t 7 , 1953 , a s amende do n Septembe

r 18 , 1978 , b y Publi c La w 95-372 , 9

2 Statut e 629 , 4 3 U.S.C . 1340 ; an

d30 CF RPart s 25 1 an d551 ) WesternGec o LL C Nam e o f Applican t 10 0 0 1 Richmon dAvenu e Numbe r an dStree t Houston , TX , 7704 2

City , State, an

dZi p Cod

e Applicatio n i s mad

e fo r the followin g activity : (chec k one) Geologica l exploration fo r

minera l resource s ^Geologica l scientifi c researc

h

xGeophysica

l exploratio

n fo r minera l resource s Geophysica

l scientifi c researc

h BOE M AP R 0 7 201 4 Ne w Orleans , L

A ^SOURC E
Submit : Origina

l plu s thre e copies , totaling fou

r copies , which includ

e on e digita l copy , an don e public informatio n copy . To be completed by BOEM Permit Number: 

# E/^l'OOV

Date: 0<\-ftfC- 7.0^

For m BOEM-032 7 (Januar y201 2 - Supersede s al l previou s version s o f thi s for m whic h ma

ynot b e use d GO M OC S REGIO N BOC M „ RELEASABL E 

# JU L 

# 2 2 ^ccunp?RFSQURCEEVAUjAIIO NA . Genera l Informatio n

1 . Th e activit y wil l b e conducte

dby : WesternGec o LL C Servic e Compan y Nam e 1000 1 Richmon dAvenu e Addres s Houston , TX , 7704 2 City , State, Zi p 713-689-202 3 /

713-689-581 5 Telephone/FA

X Number

s jmayville®exchange.sib.co m E-Mai l Addres s 2 . Th e purpos e o f th e activit y is : X Fo

r Schlumberge r

PTS Multiclien t Purchaser(s) o f

th e Dat a 1 0 00 1 Richmon dAvenu e Addres s Houston , TX , 7704 2 City , State, Zip 713-689-116 0 /

713-689-581 5 Telephone/FA

X Number

s KMoran®exchange.sib.co m E-Mai l Addres s Minera l exploration Scientifi c researc

h 3 . Describ

e you r propose dsurve y activitie s (i.e. , vesse

l use , benthi c impacts , acousti

c sources , etc ) an ddescrib e th e environmenta

l effect s o f

th e propose dactivity , including potentia l advers e effect s o n marin e lif e Describ e wha t step s ar e planne dt o minimize thes

e advers e effect s (mitigatio n measures) . Fo

r example : 1 ) Potentia

l Effect ; Excessiv

e soun dleve l Mitigation ; Sof

t Start, MMOs , mamma

l exclusion zon

e o r 2 ) Potentia

l Effect ; Botto

mdisturbance ; Mitigation ; RO V deployment/retrieva

l o f botto mnodes ) (us e continuation sheet

s a s necessar y o r provid e aseparat

e attachment) : Se e attachmen t

fo r section s A . 4 . Th e expecte dcommencemen

t dat e is : Apri l 01 , 2 01 5 Th e expecte dcompletion dat

e is : Septembe r

01 , 201 5 5 . Th e nam e o f th e individual(s

) i n charg e o f th e fiel d operatio n is : Stev e Chan g Ma y b e contacte dat : 1000 1 Richmon dAvenu e Houston , TX , 7704 2 Telephon e (Local ) 713-689-960 0 (Marine ) 713-689-595 4 Emai l Address : schang2@slb . co mRadi o cal l sig n Se e Attachmen t

For m BOEM-032 7 (January 201 2 - Supersede s al i previou s version s o f thi s for m whic h ma

y not b e used. ) Pag e 6 o f 1 36 . Th e vessel(s) t

o b e use din th e operatio n i s (are) : Nam e (s ) Registr y Number(s ) Registere downers) Se e attachmen t fo r sectio n A . 7 . Th e por t fromwhich th

e vessel(s) wil l operat

e is : Charleston , S C 8 . Briefl y describ

e th e navigatio

n syste m(vesse l navigatio

n only) : DGP S usin g Veripo s Ultr aan dStarFi x B . Complet e fo r Geologica l Exploratio n fo r Minera l Resource s o r Geologica l Scientifi c Researc h 1 . Th e type o f operation(s ) t

o b e employe dis : (chec

k one ) (a ) Dee

p stratigraphi

c test , o r (b ) Shallo

w stratigraphi

c tes t wit h propose dtota l dept h o f , o

r (c ) Othe

r 2 . Attach apage-siz

e pla t showing : 1 ) Th

e generalize

dpropose dlocatio n fo r eac h test, wher

e appropriate , apolygo

n enclosin g th e tes t site s ma y b e used , 2) BOE M protraction areas ; coastline ; poin

t o f reference ; 3 ) Distanc

e an ddirection fro mapoin

t o f reference t

o are ao f activity . C . Complet e fo r Geophysica l Exploratio n fo r Minera l Resource s o r Geophysica l Scientifi c Researc h 1 . Th e type(s ) o f

operation(s ) t

o b e employe di s (are) : a ) Acquisitio n metho

d(OBN , OBC , Streamer) : Streame r b) Type o f

acquisition : (Hig h Resolutio n Seismic , 2D Seismic , 3 D Seismic , gravity , magnetic , CSEM , etc. ) 2 D Narro w Azimuth , Lon g Offse t Seismi c 2 . Attac h apage-siz

e pla t showing : a ) Th e generalize

dpropose dlocatio n o f th e activit y wit h arepresentativ

e polygon , b) BOE M protraction areas ; coastline ; poin t o f reference , c ) Distanc

e an ddirection fro mapoin

t o f referenc e t o are ao f activity . 3 . Lis t al l energ y sourc e types t o b e use din th e operation(s) : (Ai r

gun , ai r gu n array(s) , sub-botto

m profiler , sparker

, towe ddipole , sid

e sca n sonar , etc.) .
For m BOEM-032 7 (January 201 2 - Supersede s al l previou s version s o f thi s for m whic h ma ynot b e use d ) Pag e 7 o f 1 3A i r

Gu n Array s 4 . Explosive charge

s wil l wil l no

t X b e used. I f applicable , indicat

e th e typ e o f explosive an

dmaximu mcharg e siz e (i n pounds) t

o b e used : Typ e Pound s Equivalen t Pound s o f TN T 

### D . Proprietary Informatio n Attachment s Us e th e appropriat

e for mo n pag e 9 fo r a"geological " permi

t application o

r th e for mo n pag e 1 1 fo r a "geophysical " permi

t application . You mus

t submi t aseparat e For mBOEM-032

7 t o appl y fo r eac h geologica l o r geophysica

l permit . 

### E . Certificatio n Ihereb y certif y tha t foregoing an

dattache dinformatio n ar

e tru e an dcorrect . Prin t Name : Jef f

Mayvill e SIGNE D 

## DATE J> ApmL Zdlf TITL E Marin e Manager , Wester n Hemispher e COMPAN Y NAME : WesternGec o LL C



### T O B E COMPLETE D B Y BOE M Permi t No . P: i f

oo f Assigned

by _le^^ C

Gyvy^H

Date IQ-Aftf,20]io f BOE M Thi s applicatio n i s hereby :

Accepte d b . Retume

dfo r reason s in th e attache d E L

SIGNE D TITL E Regiona l Superviso

r DAT E
For m BOEM-032 7 (Januar y201 2 - Supersede s al l previou s version s o f thi s for m whic h ma yno t b e used. ) Pag e 8 o f 1 3A . Genera l Informatio n (Attachmen t A.3 )

3. Describe

your proposed

survey activities

(i.e., vessel

use, benthic

impacts, acoustic sources, etc.)

and describe

the environmental

effects of the proposed

activity, including potential adverse effects on marine life Describe

what steps are planned to minimize these adverse effects (mitigation

measures). For

example:

1) Potential

Effect; Excessive sound level Mitigation;

Soft Start, MMOs, mammal exclusion

zone or 2) Potential

Effect; Bottom disturbance;

Mitigation;

ROV deployment/retrieval

of bottom nodes) (use continuation

sheets as necessary

or provide a separate

attachment): Th e surve ycre w consist s o f a singl e vesse l whic h wil l to w a seismi c energ ysourc e (a s describe d i n Sectio n D - Energ ySource ) an d a streame rarray . Ther e wil l als o b e tw o suppor t (picket ) vessel s an d a suppl yvesse l associate d wit h th e survey . 1 ) I t i s no t anticipate d tha t thi s equipmen t wil l hav e an yenvironmenta l impact
. Th e source s hav e bee n designe d t o outpu t th e minimu m amoun t of acousti c energ yi n orde rt o achiev e th e geophysica l objectives
. Severa l step s wil l b e take n byth e crew s a s follow s t o mitigat e th e effect s o f th e seismi c sources : • Us e o f a mitigatio n gu n an d sof t start procedure s a s pe rNT L requirement s • Us e o f a PA M syste m (o requivalent ) • Applicatio n o f a mamma l exclusio n zon e fo ral l acousti c energ ysource s • Us e o f Marin e Mamma l Observer s
2 ) Ther e wil l b e n o botto m disturbanc e a s n o equipmen t wil l deploye d t o th e se a floor
.O h i o

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