| MMS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM: ONGOING STUDIES | ||||||
| MMS OCS Region: | Pacific | |||||
| Title: | Environmental Mitigation Monitoring (PC-01-01) | |||||
| $500,000 | Period of Performance: | FY 2002 - 2006 | ||||
| Conducting Organization: | MEC, Inc.-Solana Beach, CA (Contact: David Moore) | |||||
| MMS Contact: | Dr. Fred Piltz | |||||
| Description: | ||||||
| Background | ||||||
| An integral part of implementing the OCS Lands
Act requires MMS to conduct environmental reviews and prepare environmental
documents such as environmental impact statements (EIS) and environmental
assessments (EA). During the past decades, the Pacific OCS Region has issued
permits for numerous post-lease oil and gas projects. Many of the
environmental documents developed for those projects required environmental
mitigation measures and associated permit conditions in decision documents.
Demonstrated compliance with mitigation measures and project conditions will
allow MMS to have oil and gas projects proceed in an environmentally sound
and timely manner.
This study is a continuation of the field analysis segment of an earlier 4-year study of the same title that occurred between 1997 and 2001. The study is designed to evaluate environmental mitigation effectiveness of measures and project conditions required of post-lease Pacific OCS oil and gas operations. The evaluation will consist of field monitoring and observations of Pacific OCS Region oil & gas operations to determine environmental mitigation compliance and effectiveness of the measures. |
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| Objectives | ||||||
| The study goals are to observe, sample, and/or monitor post-lease OCS oil and gas operations in the Pacific OCS Region to determine environmental compliance (MMS regulations, Lease Sale Stipulations, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, and non-MMS agency requirements, etc.) with mitigation measures or project conditions and their effectiveness. The type of data collected will depend on factors regarding site-specific concerns related to environmental mitigation monitoring of current and future post-lease projects requiring additional information in the form of studies and monitoring. | ||||||
| Methods | ||||||
| The Santa Barbara Channel and the Santa Maria Basin will be the primary focus of the environmental mitigation monitoring with a secondary focus on the San Pedro Basin. Methodology consists of actual mitigation monitoring to determine the environmental effectiveness of mitigation placed upon projects to determine the most effective and resource protecting mitigation. Examples of potential future field monitoring studies in conjunction with Pacific OCS Region projects of opportunity could include, 1) bio-chemical profiling of shell mounds in the vicinity of the platforms to determine the feasibility of deep water compliance with debris removal; 2) sampling the concentration and dilution rates with distance of produced water plumes at representative OCS oil and gas platforms; 3) subsea well abandonment studies in the Santa Barbara Channel (e.g., remotely operated vehicle (ROV) site clearance surveys, trawling testing, and sediment and ocean transport); and 4) collecting drilling discharges and sediment transport samples in the vicinity of hardbottom areas to determine compliance with mitigations to protect those resources. The type of data collected will be determined by Pacific OCS Region environmental management and scientists as specified by the particular project and would depend on the specified approval conditions. | ||||||
| Importance to MMS | ||||||
| Environmental compliance monitoring data would be used by the MMS to evaluate mitigation measures and project conditions of post-lease OCS oil and gas operations. In order for the MMS to make better decisions on oil and gas post-lease operations, the agency needs to monitor and observe the operations in the field for environmental mitigation compliance and to determine effectiveness of the measures. Information from environmental mitigation monitoring studies would aid decision-makers to develop more feasible and scientifically defensible mitigation measures and project conditions for future oil and gas operations. | ||||||
| Current Status: | ||||||
| Contractor is preparing a proposal for a pilot study to sample benthic shell mounds beneath OCS oil and gas platforms. | ||||||
| Final Report Due: | 9/30/2006 | |||||
| Publications: | ||||||
| Affiliated WWW Sites: | ||||||
| Revised date: | November 17, 2005 | |||||
| ESPIS |
ESPIS - All completed
ESP Studies: |
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