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1.44 million new jobs for a generation raised with access to limitless information and hungry for work. The Atlantic Seismic EIS matters because it opens the door to the collection of information that will allow the Millenials and other generations the opportunity to de- cide whether and where it may or may not be appropriate to explore for and extract oil and gas in the Atlantic. How completely ridiculous it must seem to Millenials that in today?s technologically advanced and information hungry society, we are using oil and natural gas estimates for most of the OCS based on seismic data that was collected with technology that predates their birth. However, as good as the new seismic methods are; the true test of producing much needed energy for our nation will only come with actual physical exploration and devel- opment. That process will only take place if there is an ac- tual lease sale in the mid and south Atlantic or Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Current projections of energy use for the next generation indicate that even with a much greater emphasis on nontraditional forms of energy such as wind, oil and natural gas will still be a major energy source and will be needed to supply the energy market and jobs. Nontradi- tional sources will only supply about 15% of our energy in 2035. New technology not only bene ts the Millenials, but such technology allows exploration and development of oil and natural gas in new areas in a safe and ef cient manner. For this generation and the following generations, we need to explore more of our outer continental shelf. Randall Luthi became President of the National Ocean Indus- tries Association (NOIA) on March 1, 2010. An attorney and rancher from Freedom, Wyoming, Luthi has had an exciting career holding various positions ranging from Wyoming Speaker of the House, director of a Federal agency, legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate, and as an attorney at both the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he worked on natural resource damages following the Exxon Valdez accident. Luthi most re- cently served as the Director of the Minerals Management Ser- vice (MMS) at DOI from July 2007 through January 2009. www.marinelink.com MN April2013 Layout 18-31.indd 23MN April2013 Layout 18-31.indd 234/1/2013 11:30:11 AM4/1/2013 11:30:11 AM
