NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - Environmental groups in Virginia are criticizing the Trump Administration's decision to allow the use of seismic air guns to find oil and gas deposits under the Atlantic Ocean.
The Daily Press in Newport News reported Tuesday that various conservationists are pointing to widespread public opposition to the testing and the offshore drilling that could follow. There are also concerns about harming dolphins and whales and other marine life.
Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Catherine Wannamaker said "communities up and down the coast have made clear they do not support seismic blasting in the Atlantic."
Air guns blast sound waves through the water to the ocean floor. The echoes provide information about any fossil fuels underneath.
The federal government is allowing energy companies "to incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals."
