There have been no seismic data acquired in the U.S. portion of the Atlantic Ocean in decades. It hasn’t been for lack of trying.

In 2008 the moratoria prohibiting the development of new Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) acreage was lifted, and the following year the U.S. Department of the Interior initiated the regulatory process to allow seismic surveying in the Atlantic OCS. Until July 13, 2015, no new permits were forthcoming.

Then ARKeX, a company offering airborne full-tensor gravity gradiometry (FTG) surveys, received its permit. At first blush it seems like a huge stride. But it comes with a caveat. FTG data are a nice complement to seismic data, but not a replacement.

At a recent hearing before the House subcommittee on energy and mineral resources, the mood was tense. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), chairman of the committee, noted that a research vessel was launched in 2014 to do seismic surveys. The vessel received a permit within five months. Eight seismic companies, meanwhile, have been waiting for more than a year.

“Spectrum first met with [the National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS] in December 2014,” said Richie Miller, president of Spectrum Geo Inc. “At that time we understood that we would complete the process in the spring and could then begin acquiring seismic data this summer. That time has since slipped considerably, and our application has still not been deemed complete.”

The major holdup is the need for companies to obtain an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) before surveying can commence. The NMFS recently announced that these IHAs would be put up for public review, a move that Miller referred to as “unprecedented” in his testimony.

Added Jim White, president of ARKeX, “Everything depends on what NMFS is going to do with the information that they receive from the public review. That’s going to dictate what’s going to happen as far as the process moving forward.

“We have 12 months to get the project executed and completed, and the clock started ticking the day we received our permit,” he said. He added that it would take about nine months to complete the survey with one aircraft.

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