General Mitigation Measures (Best Management Practices) for Oil and Gas ProjectsMany impacts that could occur as a result of oil and gas production activities may be avoided or mitigated. General and resource-specific mitigation measures can be applied to avoid or minimize impacts from oil and gas production. In order to identify and implement appropriate mitigation measures, first, the potential impacts of a project on a specific resource must be assessed. Then, project- and site-specific factors must be evaluated to determine whether the impact can be avoided or mitigated, what action can be taken, how effective the mitigation measure will be, and the cost-effectiveness of the measure. This section discusses mitigation measures in general terms, based on the general discussion of impacts described in the Potential Impacts section. Generally, although there is some overlap, these mitigation measures should be viewed as being over and above the requirements of applicable laws and regulations. Guidance on conducting impact assessments and identifying appropriate mitigation measures for specific projects is provided in the Project-Specific Impact Assessments section. To be binding, stipulations designed to allow protection of natural and cultural resources or to implement program activities need to be included in oil and gas leases. The mitigation measures included below can be tailored to meet the requirements of the individual situation found on specific lease areas. Follow the resource/program area links below to view examples of mitigation measures that might be appropriate for the potentially affected resource or program. |
