{"id":11800,"date":"2019-02-20T15:54:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T15:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coastalconservationleague.org\/?p=11800"},"modified":"2019-02-20T15:54:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T15:54:02","slug":"groups-seek-court-order-blocking-atlantic-seismic-blasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coastalconservationleague.org\/news\/press-releases\/groups-seek-court-order-blocking-atlantic-seismic-blasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Groups seek court order blocking Atlantic seismic blasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/strong> February 20, 2019<\/p>\n

Contacts: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Southern Environmental Law Center \u2013 Mike Mather, (434) 333-9464, mmather@selcva.org<\/a>
\nCoastal Conservation League \u2013 Caitie Forde-Smith, (252) 714-4790,
caitiefs@scccl.org<\/a>
\nOceana \u2013 Dustin Cranor, (954) 348-1314,
dcranor@oceana.org<\/a>
\nNatural Resources Defense Council \u2013 Anne Hawke, (646) 823-4518,
ahawke@nrdc.org<\/a>
\nEarthjustice \u2013 Maggie Caldwell, (415) 217-2084,
mcaldwell@earthjustice.org<\/a>
\nCenter for Biological Diversity \u2013 Kristen Monsell, (914) 806-3467,
kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org<\/a>
\nDefenders of Wildlife \u2013 Gwen Dobbs, (202) 329-9295,
gdobbs@defenders.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Groups seek court order blocking Atlantic seismic blasting<\/strong>
\nFiling: Government downplayed considerable harm blasting would cause<\/em><\/p>\n

CHARLESTON, SC \u2013 A group of conservation organizations today asked a federal judge to block the start of harmful seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, a precursor to offshore drilling, until the case can be fully heard in court.<\/p>\n

The motion for a preliminary injunction filed in federal court in Charleston contends, among other things, the Trump administration\u2019s approval for five companies to harm ocean animals with seismic airgun blasting violates three federal laws — the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.<\/p>\n

Separately, 16 South Carolina coastal communities and the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce also filed a lawsuit to prevent seismic blasting. That lawsuit has been merged with the one from the conservation groups. Ten East Coast attorneys general, including South Carolina\u2019s Alan Wilson, have intervened in the combined lawsuits.<\/p>\n

However, without today\u2019s request from the conservation organizations, the blasting could begin before this case is fully resolved.<\/p>\n

The filing asserts that:<\/p>\n