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Here's What's New at MMSThe Minerals Management Service What's New page contains significant activities and developments occurring within the past 60 days.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) today released a report that identifies three marine organisms that may be useful for biomedical research potentially leading to new treatments for human diseases. Under a research agreement sponsored by MMS, University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) researchers studied marine organisms collected from offshore oil and gas platforms in California’s Santa Barbara Channel and found that two invertebrate species contain compounds that inhibit the division of cancer cells grown in the laboratory. (06/30/2008)
The MMS has awarded an $18 million grant to the State of Louisiana through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) for the Barataria Land Bridge Dedicated Dredging project. The project will enhance the creation and nourishment of 752 acres of marshland in Jefferson Parish approximately 35 miles south of New Orleans, LA. The project was included in Louisiana’s final CIAP plan approved by MMS in November, 2007. (06/09/2008)
MMS Director Randall Luthi today announced the selection of Greg Gould as the new associate director for the agency’s Minerals Revenue Management (MRM) Program. Mr. Gould has served as the Chief of MMS’s Environmental Division for the past 4 years. As Associate Director of the MRM Program, Gould will be responsible for the collection and disbursement of billions of dollars annually in royalties owed the Federal government and American Indians from energy production on all Federal and American Indian lands. (06/02/2008) MMS Incorporates Revenue Sharing Rules: Establishes Rules for Providing Funds to Coastal States The MMS proposes to issue regulations for distribution of qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues from certain federal Gulf of Mexico leases in accordance with the provisions of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA). The regulations document the formula and methodology for calculating and allocating revenues to the Gulf Producing States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and their eligible coastal political subdivisions based on detailed parameters set by Congress. (05/27/2008)
More than 16.1 million barrels of Royalty in Kind (RIK) crude oil from Federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico have been sold to four companies as part of an RIK sale, the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced today. (05/16/2008) MMS Prepares for 2008 Hurricane Season: Focus on Security of Energy Production, Environmental Protection, and Personnel Safety In preparation for Hurricane Season 2008, which begins June 1, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) today discussed actions to reduce risk of severe damage to oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico in the event of hurricanes this season. Key goals of the preparations are to enhance the nation’s energy security, provide environmental protection, and continue the emphasis on personnel safety. MMS officials participated in a media forum with representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Petroleum Institute (API), to discuss new final rules regarding enhanced information on hurricane conditions and the design of offshore structures. Officials also provided updates on the continued recovery efforts from the 2005 Hurricane Season. (05/15/2008) The MMS today issued a technical correction to the Federal Register Notice concerning Proposed Limited Alternative Energy Leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and Initiation of Coordination and Consultation. The correction revises the table identifying proposed lease areas for alternative energy resource data collection and technology. (04/30/2008) NEW ORLEANS – The Minerals Management Service’s Gulf of Mexico Region approved today development plans for the Cascade-Chinook oil and natural gas project located in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 165 miles offshore Louisiana in 8,200 feet of water. Operated by Petrobras, these projects will involve the first use in the Gulf of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility. MMS approved the project after a thorough environmental and technical review. (04/29/2008) DENVER – The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) today published in the Federal Register its intent to establish an Indian Oil Valuation Negotiated Rulemaking Committee to develop recommendations on proposed revisions to the existing rule for valuation of oil produced from American Indian Lands. (04/28/2008) At a recent ceremony in the nation’s capital, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recognized the partnership of the University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute and the MMS as one of 21 recipients nationwide of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award. (04/21/2008) The MMS has issued the lease form that, with OMB approval, it will use to authorize alternative energy resource data collection and technology testing for activities permitted under the Department’s interim policy announced in November last year. The new Form MMS-0001, Lease of Submerged Lands for Alternative Energy Activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), is printed in a Federal Register (1281.73 KB PDF file) notice published today. (04/21/2008)
The
MMS has issued a
Federal Register Notice
announcing the civil
penalties that were assessed for calendar year 2007 for
violations of the provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act. A total of $3,106,000 was charged to companies
for 36 violations. A summary of the penalties – including
identity of the party, the regulation violated and the
amount paid can be found in the notice itself.
Only the best of the best become national finalists in the
much-anticipated Safety Awards for Excellence (SAFE) annual competition
sponsored by the MMS. Presented annually to Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas
operators and contractors who achieve excellence in safety and pollution
prevention, the National SAFE awards recognize outstanding performance
by the offshore industry.
Amended regulations regarding the reporting of production and royalties on oil, gas, coal and geothermal resources produced on Federal and American Indian lands were published today in the Federal Register. The amended regulations, published by the MMS, are
designed to align the rules with current MMS business practices.
On December 20, 2006, the President signed into law the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-432). The Act significantly enhances OCS oil and gas leasing activities and revenue sharing in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The Act:
NEW ORLEANS – The bids are in for two Gulf of Mexico Federal oil and gas lease sales to be held tomorrow in New Orleans. The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) Gulf of Mexico Region announced that 1,057 bids were received from 78 companies on 615 tracts offered in Central Lease Sale 206, and that 58 bids were received from 5 companies on 36 tracts offered in Eastern Lease Sale 224. (03/18/2008)
Privacy | Disclaimers | Accessibility | Topic Index | FOIA Last Updated: 06/30/2008, 12:48 PM Central Time
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