The MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office conducts all leasing and resource management
functions on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region and
Atlantic OCS area. The OCS consists of submerged Federal lands off our coasts. The OCS has
the potential to supply a significant portion of this Nation's future energy and
non-energy mineral needs. MMS leases these Federal offshore areas for exploration and
production and closely monitors OCS operations to protect our coastal environments and
ensure proper royalty collection. As well as meeting major energy needs, MMS provides
about $6 billion in annual revenue benefits to the Nation.