FOR RELEASE:  June 27, 1995                 CONTACT:  Tom DeRocco
                                                    (202)208-3983


       MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE SUPPORTS APPROPRIATIONS
  COMMITTEE VOTE TO CONTINUE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF MORATORIA

     The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management
Service (MMS) supports today's House Appropriations Committee's
vote to continue current moratorium on leasing in certain areas
offshore the United States, MMS officials announced today.

     Today's vote reverses the June 20, vote by the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior.  Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS) moratoria provisions for certain areas offshore California,
Washington, Oregon, the Atlantic seaboard, the Florida Gulf Coast
and the Alaska coast, have been included in the Department of the
Interior's Appropriations Act since fiscal year 1982.

     "MMS and this Administration support continuance of the OCS
moratoria," said MMS Director Cynthia Quarterman.  "We have been
working with states and local communities to assure them that no
leasing would occur off their coasts until we resolve conflicts
and have addressed their concerns over development of known
natural gas and oil reserves under existing leases in their
areas.  Lifting the moratoria would have been premature and
caused unnecessary contention," she added.

     Quarterman said that MMS will continue to work with all
stakeholders to ensure all OCS leasing decisions are based on
sound science, concern for the environment and wise use of the
nation's natural resources.

     No offshore leasing is planned in the areas under moratoria
through June 1997, when the current 5-Year Program for OCS Oil
and Gas Leasing expires.  The Department has begun preparation of
the next 5-Year Program for July 1997 through June 2002, and will
be releasing its draft proposed plan for public comment this
summer.

     MMS is the federal agency that manages the nation's natural
gas, oil and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects and
disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore
federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal
and Indian lands.

                                --MMS--