Industry news
WASHINGTON, July 18 （Reuters） - The Obama administration on Friday approved a plan that would allow companies to assess oil resources off the Atlantic Coast, angering environmental groups that worried the plan will harm marine life and open the door to offshore drilling.
First outlined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in February, the plan lays out the mitigation measures companies would be required to undertake before conducting seismic testing to gauge the oil reserves in the Atlantic Ocean.
BOEM emphasized that the plan does not authorize any particular seismic surveys and that companies would still have to apply for site-specific permits.
Several companies have pending applications to assess the Atlantic oil reserves. BOEM said surveys could begin early next year.
