Skip Navigation Minerals Management Service Minerals Management Service MMS Home pagesSearchMMS Topic IndexAbout MMSWhat’s New
Offshore Energy and Minerals Management
Alaska OCS RegionAtlantic OCS AreaGulf of Mexico OCS RegionPacific OCS Region		 United States Department of the Interior

Alternative Energy Program
5-Year OCS Leasing Program
Leasing Moratorium Information
Past 5-Year Programs
Coastal Impact Assistance Program
Public Comment System
Jobs

Director's Page
Strategic Planning
Minerals Revenue Management
Offshore Program
Newsroom
Congressional Affairs
Advisory Committees
Library
Kids' Page
Links
Products & Services
Navigation Tips
Contact Us

USA.gov logo: The U.S. government’s official web portal.


 Content:
    Marcia Oliver

 Pagemasters:
    OEMM Web Team
Photograph of offshore inspectors.Photograph of a seabird.Photograph of an ice island.Photograph of a fish.Photograph of a platform at sunset.Photograph of fish feeding beneath a platform.Photograph of a welder working on an offshore platform.
 Welcome!
 
 

 

Offshore Energy & Minerals Management (OEMM)

Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Strategic Plan, 2007-2012
(1424.59 KB PDF file; 12/12/07)

The MMS plays a key role in America’s energy supply by managing the mineral resources on 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The OCS is a significant source of oil and gas for the Nation’s energy supply. The approximately 43 million leased OCS acres generally accounts for about 15 percent of America’s domestic natural gas production and about 27 percent of America’s domestic oil production. The MMS’s oversight and regulatory frameworks ensure production and drilling are done in an environmentally responsible manner, and done safely.

The offshore areas of the United States are estimated to contain significant quantities of resources in yet-to-be-discovered fields. MMS estimates of oil and gas resources in undiscovered fields on the OCS (2006, mean estimates) total 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of gas. These volumes represent about 60 percent of the oil and 40 percent of the natural gas resources estimated to be contained in remaining undiscovered fields in the United States.

The OCS Lands Act requires the Department of the Interior (DOI) to prepare a 5-year program that specifies the size, timing and location of areas to be assessed for Federal offshore natural gas and oil leasing. It is the role of DOI to ensure that the U.S. government receives fair market value for acreage made available for leasing and that any oil and gas activities conserve resources, operate safely, and take maximum steps to protect the environment.

OCS oil and gas lease sales are currently held on an areawide basis with annual sales in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico with less frequent sales held in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and offshore Alaska. The program operates along all the coasts of the United States - with oil and gas production occurring on the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Alaska OCS. The MMS is also responsible for other mineral production offshore, which currently includes using sand and gravel for coastal restoration projects.

The Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Program operates under the leadership of Associate Director Chris Oynes and Deputy Associate Director Bob LaBelle.

| Privacy | Disclaimers | Accessibility | Topic Index | FOIA |

Last Updated: 08/04/2008, 11:35:46 AM

Top of Page