Loss
of sand from the Nation’s beaches, dunes, and barrier islands
is a serious problem that affects both the coastal
environment and the economy. For example, Louisiana,
which has the highest coastal erosion rate in the country,
loses an average of 100 square km of land from its coast each
year. Beach nourishment and other coastal restoration
projects are addressing this problem, and sand from the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) is often used to stem this erosion.
To date, MMS has conveyed rights to about 30 million cubic
yards of OCS sand for 23 coastal restoration projects in 5
states. These projects have resulted in the restoration of
125 miles of the Nation’s coastline, protecting billions of
dollars of infrastructure as well as important ecological
habitat. Some of these projects were done on an emergency
basis, where immanent breaching of barrier islands was
prevented by the rapid placement of OCS sand. Most of these
projects used sand that was previously identified by the MMS
through its cooperative sand evaluation program with coastal
states.
The MMS uses two types of lease conveyances for sand and
gravel and other non-energy minerals from the OCS. These are
by a non-competitive negotiated agreement, which can only be
used for obtaining sand and gavel for public works projects
funded in part or whole by a federal, state, or local
government agency, and by a competitive lease sale in which
any qualified person may submit a bid. In addition to sand
and gravel, the MMS MMP has also responded to such diverse
lease requests as salt from the Atlantic OCS and metallic
ores from the Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The Marine Minerals Program (MMP) historically
implemented OCSLA 8(k) authority through 3 main functions:
(1) preparing non-competitive leases and
Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs),
(2) completing environmental studies in
support of leasing, and
(3) managing and coordinating cooperative
agreements, task forces, and other working groups with State
and federal agencies. Recent budget restraints have
forced the bureau to refocus our efforts to ensuring the
timely analysis of OCS leasing requests and requiring the
requested environmental information be provided by the
lessee.
Privacy |
Disclaimers |
Accessibility |
Topic Index | FOIA
Last Updated:
04/25/2008,
02:59 PM
|