public comment before the US Ocean Commission, Alaska Regional Meeting, Anchorage, Aug. 22, 2002

Advocates for Wild, Healthy Oceans Alaska Regional Office Formerly the Center for 425 G St. Marine Conservation Suite 400 Anchorage, AK 99501 907.258.9922 Telephone 907.258.9933 Fax http://www.oceanconservancy.org Public Comment of Martin Robards before the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy – August 22, 2002. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding OCS oil and gas development to this commission. I am Martin Robards, Alaska Ecosystem Manager of The Ocean Conservancy. I have worked in Alaska as a biologist for 12 years, including 3 in the Prudhoe Bay oilfield. I have a Master’s degree in Fisheries Conservation. Last January, The Ocean Conservancy, along with Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Arctic Connections, Trustees for Alaska, Alaska Wilderness League, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, Earth Justice Legal Defence Fund, National Environmental Trust, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and the Alaska Center for the Environment provided comments to the Mineral Management Service on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. I have provided copies of that testimony to commission staff as it provides a good synthesis of the background behind our concerns. Offshore oil and gas development off Alaska endangers the fragile marine environment including endangered species, seabirds, and marine mammals, rich fishing grounds, national parks, ...