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F lower Gardens/Topographic Features

The topographic features of the Central Gulf provide habitat for coral reef cOEMMunity organisms and have the potential to be severely and adversely impacted by oil and gas activities resulting from the proposed actions if such activities took place on or near these cOEMMunities without protection from the Topographic Features Stipulation. The DOI has recognized this problem for some years, and since 1973 stipulations have been made a part of leases on or near these biotic cOEMMunities so that impacts from nearby oil and gas activities were mitigated to the greatest extent possible. This stipulation would not prevent the recovery of oil and gas resources but would serve to protect valuable and sensitive biological resources.

The Topographic Features Stipulation was formulated based on consultation with various Federal agencies and cOEMMents solicited from the States, industry, environmental organizations, and academic representatives. The stipulation is based on years of scientific information collected since the inception of the stipulation.

The stipulation establishes No Activity Zones at the topographic features. Within the No Activity Zones, no operations, anchoring, or structures are allowed. Outside the No Activity Zones, additional restrictive zones are established where oil and gas operations could occur, but where drilling discharges would be shunted. The stipulation also requires that all effluents within 1,000 m of banks containing an antipatharian-transitional zone be shunted to within 10 m of the seafloor. Banks containing the more sensitive and productive algal-sponge zone require a shunt zone extending 1 nautical mile (nmi) and an additional 3-nmi shunt zone for development only.

The purpose of the stipulation is to protect the biota of the topographic features from adverse effects due to routine oil and gas activities. Such effects include physical damage from anchoring and rig emplacement and potential toxic and smothering effects from muds and cuttings discharges. The Topographic Features Stipulation has been used on leases since 1973, and this experience shows conclusively that the stipulation effectively prevents damage to the biota of these banks from routine oil and gas activities. Anchoring related to oil and gas activities on the sensitive portions of the topographic features has been prevented. Monitoring studies have demonstrated that the shunting requirements of the stipulations are effective in preventing the muds and cuttings from impacting the biota of the banks. The stipulation, if adopted for the proposed actions, will continue to protect the biota of the banks, specifically as discussed below.