MMS Announces Five Year Study of Environmental Mitigation Aimed at Reducing the Impacts of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations

Federal Oil and Gas Platforms Offshore Southern California Focus of Study

CAMARILLO, CA.  The Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced today it has contracted with Applied Marine Sciences, Inc. to assist in evaluating environmental mitigation measures and conditions required for oil and gas projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) along southern California. The five-year study will examine methods used to alleviate concerns associated with OCS oil and gas operations.

“The study will help us determine the effectiveness of existing mitigation measures required for Federal OCS oil and gas operations offshore southern California. The objective of these requirements is to preserve and protect the quality of the human, marine and coastal environments. Our goal will be to look at whether the measures have achieved their intended purpose or if there are better ways to accomplish the desired protection,” said MMS Pacific Region Manager Ellen G. Aronson.

“We expect that information from the study’s scientific analysis will be useful to decision makers in adapting and/or developing future mitigation measures and project conditions for oil and gas and, perhaps, future alternative energy operations off our coast.” Aronson continued.

The MMS study contract with Applied Marine Sciences, Inc. calls for ocean fieldwork including observing, sampling, and /or monitoring of mitigation measures and their effects applied to existing OCS operations. Primary study locations associated with Pacific OCS operations will be the Santa Barbara Channel, Santa Maria Basin and San Pedro Basin.

In addition to Applied Marine Science, Inc., other partners in the MMS Environmental Mitigation Monitoring Study include: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Reese-Chambers Systems Consultants, Inc., and Fugro West.

Although the study will focus on mitigation of offshore oil and gas projects, there may be some application of these practices to projects harnessing offshore alternative energy, such as wave, ocean current and wind.

Contact:
   John Romero  (805) 389-7533

MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior

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Last Updated: 10/29/2008, 01:33 PM Central Time