Resident raises NEPA and beach‑safety concerns about proposed seabed drilling off Nantucket

A resident raised concerns at Tuesday’s Select Board meeting about a proposed seabed drilling project 12 miles off Nantucket’s South Shore that she said is scheduled to begin May 1 and would drill roughly 1,000 feet into the seabed to assess fresh water and rare earth minerals.

Mary Chalk told the board she reviewed a draft environmental assessment released March 11 and said she found the draft’s description of tourism and recreational uses incomplete because it did not address South Shore beaches specifically. Chalk also described drilling methods cited in the assessment, including use of bentonite and starch drilling fluids, and said the draft states that indefinite mud recycling is not feasible and that about 43 cubic meters of drill cuttings and solids per borehole will be released each week.

“Will this reach the beaches? Will our beaches be closed?” Chalk asked the board.

She said the project is undergoing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and that public scoping and comment are required; she said she could not find evidence that scoping meetings had been held and asked how the public could participate.

Board members did not take action at Tuesday’s meeting; staff replied that the issue is being investigated and will appear on a future agenda with more information.