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the 3florida imes3lnion Thanks to Obama, our coast is in danger By Ron Littlepage Tue Feb 24, 2015 @ 4.24 pm If this isn't already on your radar screen, it should be. With the blessing of President Barack Obama, plans are proceeding to allow seismic airgun testing. in the Atlantic off of Florida's coast in the search for oil and gas. For those concerned about the environment, there was some good news last month when the federal government released its five-year plan for offshore drilling leases in the Atlantic and didn't include Florida. With the memory of the devastating impact of the BP disaster on Florida's Gulf Coast still fresh, that provided some relief. But energy companies would still be able to explore off Florida's Atlantic coast for drilling sites that could be approved when the next five-year plan rolls around. And they would do that exploration by using seismic airguns that are towed behind vessels that shoot pulses of compressed air to the seabed to locate hydrocarbon deposits. MARINE MAMMALS WILL DIE It's not a single blast. "Imagine dynamite going off in your living room or in your backyard every 10 seconds for days to weeks at a time." Matthew Huelsenbeck, a marine scientist at Oceana, one of the environmental groups opposing the plan, told National Geographic. Just how loud those blasts are is a point of contention. A conservative estimate places the sound level at 180 decibels. According to a Decibel Equivalent Table found online, 180 decibels is equal to the sound produced by one pound of TNT exploding within 15 feet of you, which fits with Huelsenbeck's description. Others argue the sound would be 100,000 times more intense than the sound of a jet engine. So what's all the noise about the noise? An environmental impact study done by the federal government concluded the seismic airgun blasts would have "moderate" impact on marine mammals and sea turtles.