FOR RELEASE:  February 25, 1994           CONTACT:   John Barclay
                                                   (202) 208-3983

    MMS AWARDS LSU $204,893 FOR SOCIOECONOMIC STUDY (#40015)


     The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service today
announced that it has awarded Louisiana State University (LSU)
$204,893 for a baseline study of the socioeconomic impacts of
offshore energy development in the Gulf of Mexico.

     The grant, which will be matched by the State of Louisiana
through LSU's Coastal Marine Institute, was awarded to the
University's Center for Life Course and Population Studies in Baton
Rouge.  The study funded by the grant will collect and analyze data
on the socioeconomic impact of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
development on the coastal states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana and Texas.

     Researchers will use existing U.S. Census data and information
from previous LSU studies to study local demographics, economics,
public services and fiscal issues.  The project will encompass the
period from 1930 through 1990.  Completion of the study is
scheduled for February, 1996.

     "MMS has pledged to seek out and rely on sound scientific
research in the management of its OCS gas and oil program," said
agency Director Tom Fry, "and this grant backs up that commitment. 
This study will add important data to our knowledge base and will
help us make sure that we fully understand the impacts from future
developments on our neighbors in the Gulf States."

     The award includes a provision for a dollar-for-dollar
matching grant from the State of Louisiana, Fry noted.

                              -MMS-

Subject: PR-02/25/94 LSU/MMS Awards LSu $204K for Socioeconomic
Study (#40015)