Offshore Energy & Minerals
Management (OEMM)
Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Strategic Plan, 2007-2012
(1424.59 KB PDF file;
12/12/07)
The MMS plays a key role in America’s
energy supply by managing the mineral resources on 1.76 billion acres of
the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The OCS is a significant
source of oil and
gas for the Nation’s energy supply. The approximately 43 million
leased OCS acres generally accounts for about 15 percent of America’s
domestic natural gas production and about 27 percent of America’s
domestic oil production. The MMS’s oversight and regulatory frameworks
ensure production and drilling are done in an environmentally
responsible manner, and done safely.
The offshore areas of the United States
are estimated to contain significant quantities of resources in
yet-to-be-discovered fields. MMS estimates of oil and gas resources in
undiscovered fields on the OCS (2006, mean estimates) total 86 billion
barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of gas. These volumes
represent about 60 percent of the oil and 40 percent of the natural gas
resources estimated to be contained in remaining undiscovered fields in
the United States.
The
OCS Lands Act
requires the
Department of
the Interior
(DOI) to prepare a 5-year program that specifies the size, timing and
location of areas to be assessed for Federal offshore natural gas and oil
leasing. It is the role of DOI to ensure that the U.S. government
receives fair market value for acreage made available for leasing and that
any oil and gas activities conserve resources, operate safely, and take
maximum steps to protect the environment.
OCS oil and gas lease sales
are currently held on an areawide basis with annual sales in the Central and
Western Gulf of Mexico with less frequent sales held in the Eastern Gulf
of Mexico and offshore Alaska.
The
program operates along all the coasts of the
United States
- with oil and gas production occurring on the
Gulf of Mexico,
Pacific,
Atlantic and
Alaska OCS. The MMS is
also responsible for other mineral production offshore, which currently
includes using
sand and gravel
for coastal restoration projects.
The Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Program operates
under the leadership of Associate Director Chris Oynes
and Deputy Associate Director Bob LaBelle.
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Last Updated:
01/22/2009,
03:01:57 PM