Sand and
Gravel Program
Loss of sand from the Nation’s
beaches, dunes, and barrier islands is a serious problem
that affects both the coastal environment and the economy.
For example, Louisiana, which has the highest coastal
erosion rate in the country, loses an average of 100 square
km of land from its coast each year. Beach nourishment and
other coastal restoration projects are addressing this
problem, and sand from the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is
often used to stem this erosion.
To
date, the Bureau has conveyed rights to about 56 million cubic
yards of OCS sand for 29 coastal restoration projects in 5
states. These projects have resulted in the restoration of
167 miles of the Nation’s coastline, protecting billions of
dollars of infrastructure as well as important ecological
habitat. Some of these projects were done on an emergency
basis, where immanent breaching of barrier islands was
prevented by the rapid placement of OCS sand. Most of these
projects used sand that was previously identified by the
Bureau
through its cooperative sand evaluation program with coastal
states.
The Bureau uses two types of lease conveyances
for sand and gravel and other non-energy minerals from the
OCS. These are by a non-competitive negotiated agreement,
which can only be used for obtaining sand and gavel for
public works projects funded in part or whole by a federal,
state, or local government agency, and by a competitive
lease sale in which any qualified person may submit a bid.
In addition to sand and gravel, the Bureau MMP has also
responded to such diverse lease requests as salt from the
Atlantic OCS and metallic ores from the Pacific Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ).
The Marine Minerals Program (MMP) historically
implemented OCSLA 8(k) authority through 3 main functions:
-
preparing non-competitive leases and Memoranda of
Agreements (MOAs),
-
completing environmental studies in support of
leasing, and
-
managing and coordinating cooperative agreements,
task forces, and other working groups with State and federal
agencies. Recent budget restraints have forced the bureau to refocus
our efforts to ensuring the timely analysis of OCS leasing requests
and requiring the requested environmental information be provided by
the lessee.
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