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Deputy Associate Director
Robert P. LaBelle
Robert LaBelle, as the
Deputy Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management, serves as Chief
Operating Officer for the management of all facets of the Offshore Program,
including policy development, policy implementation, and program planning. He is responsible for directing the implementation of Offshore’s
Strategic Plan and serves as Executive Secretary for the Offshore Steering
Committee, as well as Chairman of the Offshore Information Management
Committee.
Previously, as Chief of the MMS Environmental Division, LaBelle was
responsible for offshore oil and gas industry compliance with all
environmental requirements, including water and air quality, endangered
species, oil spill risk analysis, and archaeology, in all U.S. Federal
waters. He oversaw a large
environmental research program and the
preparation of Environmental Impact Assessments and other decision documents
used for both offshore energy and mining activities.
In 1996,
he received the Citation for Meritorious Service from the
Department of the
Interior in recognition of his scientific accomplishments. He is an
internationally recognized expert on the subject of oil spill trajectory
analysis and risk assessment, with over 100 publications and technical
reports on this and other environmental issues. His work has provided a key
tool in addressing State and local community concerns about the effects that
oil spills may have on coastal and local resources. He has also helped other
agencies in risk assessment, including the 1989 Presidential Task Force on
Outer Continental Shelf Leasing, the U.S. Coast Guard’s analysis of
“tanker-free zones” off U.S. coastlines, and the Domestic Energy Council’s
and the Dept. Of Commerce’s 1996 environmental review of exporting Alaska
North Slope oil. He has participated by invitation in international training
sessions on ocean issues in Russia, Mexico, Norway, the UK, Venezuela and
Japan.
In prior
positions, LaBelle was Chief of the
MMS Technology Assessment and Research
Branch, where he led research on engineering and technical aspects of
offshore production and development. Previous positions at MMS and
USGS
include Chief of the Environmental Operations and Analysis Branch, and Chief
of the Branch of Environmental Modeling. Prior to joining Interior, LaBelle
worked for Martin Marietta Corporation as an environmental analyst on the
sitting of electrical power plants and on assessing the effects of nuclear
power stations on aquatic species. He is a graduate of the University of
Massachusetts (BS), the University of Maryland (MS), and Loyola College
(MBA).
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Last Updated:
12/03/2008,
03:00:00 PM |