MMS Works Closely with California to Manage Federal Offshore Energy

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) works closely with the State of California while managing and overseeing federal offshore energy activities along the Golden State.

In fact, MMS and California have worked together for over 25 years to promote regulatory efficiency and safe oil and gas activities associated with 23 offshore facilities in Federal waters along California’s southern coast.

Several of these partnerships are reflected through formal memoranda of agreement while others are carried out through less formal working groups. Areas of cooperation include:

Operational Safety and Inspection – Under a memorandum of agreement, California and the MMS implemented the Offshore California Pipeline Inspection Survey (OCPIS) Plan, which provides a coordinated analytical framework for assessing the present condition and inspection needs of offshore pipelines under Federal and State jurisdictions.

Study of the Marine and Coastal Environments – The MMS manages a variety of scientific studies to increase our understanding of the marine and coastal environment and potential effects of offshore oil and gas activities offshore. About $1 to $2 million is spent annually to fund research in physical oceanography, biology, ecology, and socioeconomics. A significant part of MMS’s regional environmental studies are carried out in cooperation with the University of California and California State University.

Oil Spill Prevention and Response – Under a memorandum of agreement, California and the MMS avoid unnecessary duplication of effort while exercising their respective authorities for oil spill contingency planning, prevention, and response.

Ocean and Energy Education – MMS and California continue to collaborate through  myriad State-wide education programs, initiatives and working groups to bring real-world science and energy-related applications to California classrooms and local education programs. Partnering in this area, particularly through the California Ocean Communicators Alliance, has grown to include opportunities to raise awareness of the interdependency between California’s human population and the various energy resources obtained from the marine environment.

With MMS’s newly acquired alternative energy and alternate use authority, the agency is exploring new partnering opportunities with California, as well as with the States of Oregon and Washington, in part through the West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health. A priority of this landmark, tri-state partnership calls for regional planning and coordination relating to the possible harnessing of energy from waves and ocean currents along the West Coast.

For more information on MMS activities in California and the rest of the Pacific Region, go to http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/.

Relevant Links:
•   MOA on Pipeline Inspection MOA on Oil Pollution Prevention and Response
•   MMS Pacific Region Environmental Studies
•   MMS Education Page
•   California Ocean Communicators Alliance
•   MMS Alternative Energy and Alternate Use
•   West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health