Hard Minerals Sub-Committee

Purpose

This Subcommittee on the OCS Hard Minerals Leasing Program is established by the OCS Policy Committee.

The purpose of this subcommittee is to advise the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the Department of the Interior through recommendations to the Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee (OCSPC) on the identification of, and leasing and development of hard mineral marine resources in an environmentally sound manner.

Cooperative agreements with coastal state partners are designed to assess all OCS hard minerals in Federal waters, with a present focus on partnerships to collect and provide geologic and environmental information to identify and make available, via noncompetitive lease agreements, sand and gravel deposits suitable for beach nourishment, and wetland and infrastructure protection projects. This work has led to the efficient and environmentally sound recovery of sand resources for these purposes in several states. In support of its purpose and productive synergy with MMS, Hard Minerals Subcommittee input may be sought by MMS on tasks such as:

Evaluating whether or not MMS should promulgate regulations and noncompetitive leases for beach restoration and wetland protection projects;

Providing advice on issues associated with multiple use of the seafloor (e.g., siting of artificial reefs, alternative energy facilities, extraction of valuable minerals from OCS sand and gravel, or other infrastructure on offshore borrow sites). This task could relate to OMM Strategy #13, Develop Regional Plans for Sand and Gravel Leasing;

Assisting with the planning, organizing, and managing of OCS marine minerals workshops or "Information Transfer Meetings;"

Reviewing drafts of final reports and other documents for the Marine Minerals Branch as requested by MMS;

Examining the viability of competitive leasing and providing MMS with advice on ways to proceed; and

Providing suggestions for environmental study topics/issues, and priorities.

Members:
       Dr. John H. Talley (Chairman), Delaware Geological Survey, Newark, Delaware
       Charles Chesnutt, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
       Dr. Syed Khalil, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, LA
       Dr. Charles L. Morgan, Planning Solutions, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii
       Dr. Karl W. Muessig, New Jersey Geological Survey, New Jersey
       Dr. Berry H. "Nick" Tew, Jr., Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
       Deborah L. Tucker, Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, Florida
       Dr. James R. Woolsey, Jr., Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute, Mississippi

Subcommittee Staff
       Renee Orr, Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA

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Last Updated: 12/03/2008, 12:25 PM