FOR RELEASE: May 18, 1995              CONTACT:    Barney Congdon
                                                   (504) 736-2595 
                                                       Lee Scurry 
                                                   (202) 208-3983 
                                                     

                   MMS SETS INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP ON 
        PROPOSED POLICY OPTIONS FOR OFFSHORE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

     The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management
Service (MMS) will sponsor an informational workshop on "Proposed
Policy Options for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Natural Gas and
Oil Resource Management," June 12 and 13, 1995.  Since the
announcement was published in the Federal Register on May 12, the
location has been moved to the Westin Canal Place hotel located
at 100 Rue Iberville, New Orleans, LA.

     The first day of the workshop will consist of MMS and
industry panel discussions.  The morning session will focus on
issues such as bid adequacy, minimum bid levels, rentals, tract
sizes, longer lease terms, and information on tracts with
indicated hydrocarbons.  The afternoon session will address
royalty rates on new leases and extensions in the primary term on
existing leases through modification of drilling requirements. 
It will also include an overview of the proposed MMS guidelines
for royalty relief on active leases and the purposes they are
designed to achieve.  

     The second day will be reserved for more detailed technical
discussions of how the proposed royalty relief guidelines would
apply to representative lease operations.  Selected examples and
case studies will be considered in the afternoon session.  

     All interested parties are invited to attend both days. 
However, it will be especially valuable for those people
responsible for preparing applications for royalty relief under
the proposed guidelines to attend the second day.  This includes
petroleum engineers, accountants, financial analysts and
production managers.  Reservations should be made no later than
May 31, 1995, to Ms. Karen Decker, Minerals Management Service,
Mail Stop-4200, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 22070, by
phone (703-787-1628) or facsimile (703-787-1621).  The workshop
is free of charge.

                                  --MMS--