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Report on Cumulative Effects of Offshore
Activities 1992-1994 |
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 (OCSLAA)
reguires, in Section 20(e), that Interior submit annually to Congress, an assessment of
the cumulative effects on the human, marine, and coastal environments, of the activities
of the OCS Program. |
MMS recently issued the report: Outer Continental Shelf Oil and
Natural Gas Resource Management Program: Cumulative Effects, 1992-1994. August 1997
(MMS-97-0027)"Cumulative effects" are defined as the total identifiable
long-term effects that: (a) are attributable to activities authorized under the OCS Lands
Act, (2) are evident during the time period analyzed, and (3) can be quantified or
evaluated. The report concludes that the OCS activities during the time period evaluated
caused only temporary, localized effects on most resources analyzed. Air and water
quality, fish, and endangered or threatened species were among the resources examined,
along with socioeconomic issues.
According to the report, during 1992 through 1994, the effects from OCS activities were
varied in nature. Some were positive, such as the successful commercial mariculture
venture of harvesting mussels from the OCS platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel. Others
were temporary and localized, such as effects associated with drilling discharges. Some
anticipated negative effects were not realized; for example, major environmental damage to
coastal and marine resources from oil spills did not occur in spite of the extensive
physical damage to OCS structures from Hurricane Andrew.
Other effects were regulatory in nature; for instance, when the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration designated the Flower Garden Banks as a national marine
sanctuary (NMS), it recognized the effectiveness of existing MMS mitigation requirements
by incorporating them into the regulatory regime covering the newly designated NMS. The
cumulative effects identified in the Gulf of Mexico OCS—where the bulk of OCS
activities occur—were wetland loss and social and economic effects, and those in the
Pacific, Alaska, and Atlantic OCS areas were limited to social effects. |
 Cumulative
Effects 1992-1994 |
Condensed Table of Contents1.0 Elements of the OCS Program, 1992-1994
2.0 Observed Effects of the OCS Program
2.1 Gulf of Mexico Region
2.1A Special Topics
(1) Damage to OCS Facilities from
Hurricane Andrew
(2) OCS Exploratory Drilling off the
Florida Panhandle
(3) Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary
(4) MMS Archaeological Rulemaking
2.1B Matters of Interest
(1)Air Quality
(2)Drilling Discharges
(3)Naturally Occurring Radioactive
Material
(4)Oil Spills
(5)Chemosynthetic Communities
(6)Structure Removal
(7)Marine Debris
(8)Coastal Wetlands
(9)Socioeconomics
2.2 Pacific Region
2.2A Special Topic—Northridge Earthquake
2.2B Matters of Interest
(1)Air Quality
(2)Oil Spills and Response Capabilities
(3)Santa Ynez Unit Expansion Project
(4)Drilling Discharges
(5)Tri-County Forum
(6)California Offshore Oil and Gas Energy
Resources Study
(7)Approved Exploration Plan Review Process
(8)Commercial Fisheries
2.3 Alaska Region
2.3A Special Topic—Kuvlum
2.3B Matters of Interest
(1)Cook Inlet Water Quality Study
(2)Bowhead Whales
(3)Subsistence
2.4 Atlantic Region
2.4A Special Topic—Manteo Prospect Block 467
3.0 OCS Marine Minerals Program
4.0 References
Appendix A: Administration of the OCS Program
Appendix B: Activities Associated with OCS Exploration, Development, and Production
Appendix C: Ongoing MMS-Funded Environmental Studies, 1992-1994 |
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For more information e-mail: Elizabeth
Burkhard
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