Opposition To Atlantic Oil Drilling

Last month the Departmentof the Interior held a public hearingon plans to allow seismic testing for oil and natural gas in the Mid-Atlantic, At that time, a coalition of conservationorganizations spoke out against the proposal that they said could harm marine mammals and seagoing turtles and ultimately open the door to oil drilling off the coast.  Seismic air guns tests, underwater explosions of air and the resulting noise, harms marine animals by disrupting their communications, causing hearing loss and strandings as they become disorientated. Many environmentalists believe that the cause for thousands of dead and dying dolphins that have washed up on Perus beaches this year can be traced to seismic testing by oil companies.