The NewsRoom
Release: #3441
Date: December 20, 2005

Florida’s Naples Area Beaches Get Help from MMS

Washington - Florida’s hurricane-damaged shoreline in the Naples Florida area is slated to be renourished with sand from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf. On December 14th, the Minerals Management Service signed an agreement with Collier County, Florida to provide up to 673,000 cubic yards of federal sand to restore 8.6 miles of beach damaged during the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons. Vanderbilt Beach, Park Shore, Pelican Bay and the City of Naples public beaches will receive the OCS sand.

"I am proud to say that this is the fifth beach restoration agreement MMS has signed with the State of Florida,” said MMS Director Johnnie Burton. “Helping to restore Florida’s beautiful shoreline following the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 is a shining example of government serving the public interest.”

Over a decade ago, MMS and coastal states recognized that sand resources from the OCS are a viable and critical source for protection of the nation’s shores and wetlands. MMS established state cooperatives and identified over 2 billion cubic yards of OCS sand resources and has conveyed more than 23 million cubic yards of sand for 17 shore protection projects to date. These projects have protected millions of dollars in infrastructure and thousands of acres of valuable wetland habitats.

Partnering with coastal states, MMS’s Marine Minerals Branch locates and characterizes OCS sand resources and conducts environmental studies and analyses to ensure the OCS sand will match that already on the beach and can be removed without significant impact to the environment. In addition to Florida, MMS has had cooperative agreements with Alabama, California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

The MMS, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages offshore oil and gas exploration as well as renewable and alternative energy sources such as wind, wave, and solar on 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf while protecting the human, marine, and coastal environments. The OCS provides 30 percent of oil and 21 percent of natural gas produced domestically, and sand used for coastal restoration. MMS collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian lands, and contributes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other special use funds, with Fiscal Year 2005 disbursements of approximately $9.9 billion and more than $153 billion since 1982.

Relevant Web Sites:
   MMS Main Website

Media Contacts:
   Nicolette Nye  
   (703) 787-1011

MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
 

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