Office of Production, Development and Resource Evaluation
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| Regional Supervisor - 805-389-7707 |
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| Mission: |
The Office of Production, Development and Resource Evaluation is responsible for the production, development and reservoir evaluation/management program to ensure timely and optimal production of OCS oil and gas fields and coordinates these activities with other offices and within the Region. The office plans, coordinates and implements geological, geophysical and reservoir engineering analyses, as well as the development of reserves estimates, production accounting (gas and liquid verification), well/field data studies, reports, inventories and economic evaluations of mineral resources. In support of the Alternative Energy Program, the office is responsible for the identification of the extent and nature of competing OCS resources, bid adequacy determinations, acquisition, review, release of meteorologic and oceanographic data, and coordinating with MRM regarding payments and distribution of revenue to the states. The office ensures cartographic standards to support national and regional efforts to effectively produce OCS energy and mineral resources and provides mapping capabilities in support of these resource programs.
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| Functions: |
- Ensures industry compliance with established policies regarding development and production of oil, gas, minerals, and alternative energy on OCS leases.
- Identifies prospective areas for energy and mineral resource leasing consideration.
- Administers the Region’s oil and gas production measurement and surface commingling program. Implements and maintains the Gas and Liquid Verification Systems. Works with Minerals Revenue Management to reconcile production and sales volumes exceptions for liquids. Reconciles gas production and sales volume exceptions in-house.
- Coordinates with MRM regarding payments and distribution of revenue to the states from Alternative Energy Program.
- Oversees the conservation of OCS resources and protects against the waste of those resources. Protects the correlative rights of OCS lessees and the rights of the Federal government.
- Approves secondary recovery projects and other reservoir management projects, including fluid injection and subsurface gas storage.
- Coordinates with the District Office on gas flaring/venting to address conservation issues; makes determination for royalty due on flared/vented gas.
- Administers unitization activities through review and approval of unit agreements, participating areas, contraction/expansion of unit areas, equity determinations for royalty allocation, unit operator changes, and annual plans of operation. Makes competitive reservoir determinations.
- Implements royalty relief program for end-of-life and special relief cases.
- Administers suspensions of production and operations for leases and units; monitors compliance with conditions of approval.
- Determines and administers oil and gas production rates for wells and reservoirs. Approves downhole-commingling applications.
- Approves surface commingling applications, changes to meters, and measurement and allocation manuals.
- Manages the Region’s Reserves Inventory Program. Conducts and maintains ongoing geological and petroleum engineering studies of OCS lands necessary to estimate oil and gas reserves.
- Conducts comprehensive reservoir evaluation and characterization of Pacific OCS fields. Maintains databases of geologic, geophysical, engineering, and production data for reservoirs.
- Provides input to decision makers on competing energy and mineral resources and alternative energy proposals and participates in development of strategies to maximize access to energy resources.
- Evaluates bid adequacy for alternative energy leases and, should oil and gas leasing become active once again in the Region, for oil and gas lease sales.
- Provides technical analyses on geologic and reservoir engineering aspects of operator-submitted plans for the oil and gas program, alternative energy program, and marine minerals program. Conducts geohazard reviews for platform, well, and pipeline placement, alternative energy facilities as well as marine mining activities. Approves well spacing programs for the oil and gas program.
- Administers the G&G permitting for mineral resources, and acquisition and data release activities for the bureau’s offshore energy programs.
- Publishes and disseminates information related to the mineral and alternative energy potential of the OCS.
- Maintains geoscientific databases. Maintains the Technical Information Management System database components for production, wells, block & boundary, meters/liquid verification, geologic, GIT-interface, mapping (base), seismic, tract evaluation, lease status, lease suspensions, royalty relief, units, rate control, and reserves.
- Maintains GIS mapping system including regional base map information for alternative energy program and marine minerals program, as well as oil and gas program.
- Maintains Region’s geological mapping database.
- Reviews proposed legislation, regulations, and other proposals to evaluate the effect of these proposals on the production, development, and resource evaluation functions. Prepares NTL’s and other notices to provide lessees/operators with clarifications and interpretations of regulations as appropriate.
- Manages the technical documents, information, and databases resulting from programs covered by OPDRE. Participates in preparing responses to Freedom of Information Act requests and public and other information requests relating to subjects covered by OPDRE.
- Coordinates and assists with appeals and legal challenges brought before the Interior Board of Land Appeals or the courts related to subjects covered by OPDRE.
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