The Leasing Division develops and implements Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas programs to achieve national economic and energy policy goals, manages the OCS Sand and Gravel Program, and maintains the various maps, legal descriptions, and measurements defining U.S. offshore boundaries.  The work of the Leasing Division is interdisciplinary and requires a staff composed of individuals with a variety of academic and experiential backgrounds.  This is particularly true of program analysts who, collectively, need a diverse set of abilities. 

The primary responsibility of the Leasing Division, conducting and coordinating the analyses for development and implementation of the 5‑year oil and gas program, is fulfilled under the requirements of the OCS Lands Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and related developmental and environmental laws.  For each of the appropriate policy options articulated for the decision maker (Secretary of the Interior), the 5-Year Program Decision Documents include estimates of the Net Economic Value, social and environmental costs, and additional net benefits to society of anticipated production, as well as analysis of relevant laws and court decisions, relative environmental sensitivity and marine productivity, procedures for assuring fair market value, and the equitable sharing of developmental benefits and environmental risks among the regions.  Because many of these analyses are performed by employees in other headquarters divisions and in the regional offices, the staff of the Leasing Division spends a considerable amount of time working with people outside the division.  The result of these analyses is a final OCS 5-Year oil and gas program that defines as precisely as possible a schedule of proposed lease sales (auctions of offshore oil and gas rights) in a subset of the 26 OCS planning areas.    

Each lease sale (auction) is preceded by a similar, but more specific, set of analyses, also coordinated by the Leasing Division.  Responsibilities includes overseeing the implementation of the individual Lease Offerings, and working closely with the regional offices, other Federal agencies, and interested parties to provide senior management with balanced, accurate, and thorough information and analyses to support appropriate lease sale decisions.  Providing our constituents several opportunities to participate in the decision making process creates an extremely dynamic process with many opportunities for immediate analyses to assist the MMS Director in decision making.

The MMS also has responsibility for analyzing and overseeing development of non-energy minerals on the OCS.  The OCS Sand and Gravel Program develops cooperative projects with States to identify OCS sand and gravel for beach restoration. Sand and Gravel staff members initiate and oversee environmental studies of potential sand “borrow” sites studies to provide information necessary to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the extraction of offshore deposits.  Other responsibilities include planning with, and responding to comments from, State and local governments, other Federal agencies, and community-based or special interest groups.  As of now, all sand removed from the OCS is used for beach renourishment and protection of fragile coastlines and wetlands. 

The Mapping and Boundary Branch is responsible for developing and maintaining the Official Marine Cadastre, legal descriptions and aerial measurements, preparation of Official Protraction Diagrams and various marine boundaries including those under the Submerged Lands Act, as well as international and various other Marine Managed Area boundaries. 

In addition to these major programs, the division develops policy and position papers, conducts analyses related to developing critically needed domestic energy resources, develops and analyzes proposed legislation, develops regulations governing leasing program activities, prepares speeches and presentations for senior management, and provides staff work for the OCS Advisory Boards.

Academic Backgrounds That May Be Sought By the Leasing Division for Future Employees

The work of the Leasing Division is interdisciplinary and requires a staff composed of individuals with a variety of academic and experiential backgrounds.  Therefore, although some types of knowledge and skill sets are more helpful than others, most positions in the division do not require any specific academic coursework or work history.  In general, a successful candidate for a position as a Career Development Intern in the Herndon, Virginia, office should be a quick learner with a good liberal arts background and strong analytical, writing, and oral communication skills.  Any special training or experience in a discipline or job related to the division’s primary responsibilities would be a plus. The academic degrees held by employees in the Herndon office include those in marine biology, physical oceanography, economics, public policy, political science, geology, engineering, history, math and computer science, and law.  In addition, the Leasing Division has a Mapping and Boundary Branch in the Denver area whose employees have fairly specialized backgrounds related to cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

More Information on the Responsibilities of the Leasing Division

The Leasing staff has numerous other responsibilities.  The division responds to numerous requests for quick-turnaround analyses relevant to 5-year and other program and policy matters.  Leasing employees have served on and led OMM-wide teams dealing with such issues as sustainable development, natural gas supply issues, Electronic Funds Transfer for bids, and the Career Development Intern Program.  In addition, the OCS Economic Impact Models, the MMS partnership with Herndon Elementary School, and various outreach efforts are handled and coordinated through the Leasing Division.  The staff of the Mapping and Boundary Branch is active on a variety of committees including the Ad Hoc Baseline Committee Chaired by the Department of State, the Federal Geographic Data Committee’s Cadastral Subcommittee, Coast and Spatial Data Subcommittee, and co-chairs the Marine Boundary Working Group.

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Last Updated: 10/22/2007, 01:42:36 PM