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[assets/Include/yellowbanner_Here'sWhat'sNewatMMS.htm] | ||||
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The State of Alaska will receive up to $80 million through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) implemented by the MMS. The CIAP was established under section 384 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through MMS, to distribute $250 million annually to six states Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas all Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas producing states, in fiscal years 2007 through 2010. (10/16/2008) A multi-year investigation by the MMS, the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Justice, resulted with the sentencing of Pacific Operators Offshore, LLC for violation of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act. The company, which pled guilty to the criminal violation, was ordered to pay a fine of $450,000 and will serve a 5-year probationary period for use of a Gas Lift Line (GLL) in direct contradiction to an MMS order. (10/8102008)
More than 76 billion cubic feet of natural gas was sold to four companies in a Federal Royalty in Kind (RIK) onshore gas sale conducted this month by the MMS. The sale offered royalty gas from Federal lands in the Jonah-Pinedale area in western Wyoming. The more than 76 billion cubic feet of royalty gas, or approximately 240,000 MMBtu (Million British Thermal Units) per day, was sold under five- or 12-month contracts with delivery scheduled to begin on November 1, 2008. (10/9/2008) The MMS has awarded a two-year, $443,000 contract to Eastern Research Group, Incorporated (ERG). Through this contract, ERG will conduct a study focusing on energy markets and infrastructure needs relating to alternative energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The findings of this study will contribute to the socioeconomic analyses for environmental assessments and other decision documents related to alternative energy development on the OCS. (10/8/2008)
The MMS has signed a three-year, $340,000 contract with Idaho State University to study the subsistence harvest and sharing activities in communities along Alaska’s North Aleutian Basin. Researchers will investigate the vulnerabilities and the resilience of community subsistence activities to determine if there would be potential impact by offshore energy development activities. Information from the study will be used to evaluate potential mitigation measures and stipulations. (10/8/2008)
The MMS has awarded a $5.5 million contract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to conduct a major study of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current. The Loop Current, which forms the upstream portion of the Gulf Stream, is the Gulf’s principal ocean current which transports energy, mass, heat, momentum and salt from the eastern to the western half of the Gulf. (10/8/2008)
NEW ORLEANS Offshore operators continue to report damage from Hurricane Ike to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Gulf of Mexico Regional Office. This information is compiled and used by MMS staff in reviewing and approving repair plans submitted by the oil and gas operators in order to resume oil and gas production from the Gulf of Mexico. (10/07/2008)
The MMS announced today it is extending its commitment to the Gulf Coast region. The General Services Administration has signed a 15-year lease to keep the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office in the New Orleans area. The building houses more than 600 MMS employees and contractors. It sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Katrina, reopened in October of 2005, and resumed full operations in early 2006. (10/07/2008) A multi-year investigation the MMS, the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Justice, resulted with the sentencing of Pacific Operators Offshore, LLC for violation of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act. The company, which pled guilty to the criminal violation, was ordered to pay a fine of $450,000 and will serve a 5-year probationary period for use of a Gas Lift Line (GLL) in direct contradiction to an MMS order. (10/07008) The MMS has awarded an $8.5 million grant to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) to study different types of shoreline protection at the existing Rockefeller Refuge area along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline. (09/25/2008) MMS Enters into an Interagency Agreement to Compile Avian Data for the Atlantic Coast The MMS and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently launched a three-year study of seabirds and shorebirds along the Atlantic coast for use in future environmental assessments regarding possible offshore wind energy development projects. (09/25/2008) NEW ORLEANS The MMS estimates that from September 13, 2008 through September 14, 2008, approximately 1,450 oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were exposed to hurricane conditions, winds greater than 74 miles per hour. As of August 2008, there were more than 3,800 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico; these structures range in size from single well caissons in water depths of ten feet to a large complex facility in water depth greater than 7,000 feet. (09/24/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update September 23, 2008: Minerals Management Service Monitors Activities for Both Storms through its Continuity of Operations Plan (9/23/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update – September 17, 2008 Minerals Management Service Monitors Activities for Both Storms Through its Continuity of Operations Plan (9/17/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update – September 16, 2008 Minerals Management Service Monitors Activities for Both Storms Through its Continuity of Operations Plan (9/16/2008) NEW ORLEANS — The MMS has two confirmed reports of drilling rigs adrift in the central Gulf of Mexico. The MMS, industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard are working together to monitor the paths of the two rigs. MMS has determined through a pre-hurricane season risk analysis that there is minimal infrastructure in the areas surrounding these two rigs. (09/13/2008) MMS Extends the Comment Period For Proposed: New 5-Year Leasing Program On August 1, 2008, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued a Request for Comments on the preparation of a possible new 5-year federal OCS oil and gas leasing program. The comment period was scheduled to close on Monday, September 15, 2008. (09/12/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update—September 12, 2008: Minerals Management Service Monitors Activities for Both Storms Through its Continuity of Operations Plan (09/12/2008) WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today initiated action following yesterday’s receipt of Inspector General reports on Minerals Management Service (MMS) Royalty In Kind (RIK) program employees. (09/11/2008) The MMS today released preliminary damage reports for the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas infrastructure resulting from Hurricane Gustav. (09/11/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update: September 10, 2008—MMS Monitors Activities for Both Storms Through its Continuity of Operations Plan NEW ORLEANS — In preparation for Hurricane Ike, offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico have stopped re-boarding platforms and rigs following Hurricane Gustav and are maintaining the evacuated status to protect against harm. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) continues to monitor activities for both hurricanes through its Continuity of Operations Plan team. This team will be activated until operations return to normal. (09/10/2008)
Hurricane
Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update: September 9, 2008 RIK Report Details $63 Million Gain: MMS Delivers FY 2007 Results to Congress More than $63 million in additional benefits was achieved for the Federal Government and American taxpayer in Fiscal Year 2007 through the Royalty in Kind (RIK) Program administered by the MMS. (09/08/2008) Hurricane Gustav/Hurricane Ike Activity Statistics Update: September 8, 2008—MMS Activates its Continuity of Operations Plan to Monitor Activities (09/08/2008) Hurricane Gustav Activity Statistics Update: September 6, 2008—MMS Activates its Continuity of Operations Plan to Monitor Activities (09/06/2008) Hurricane Gustav Activity Statistics Update: September 5, 2008—MMS Activates its Continuity of Operations Plan to Monitor Activities (09/05/2008) Hurricane Gustav Activity Statistics Update: September 2, 2008—MMS Activates its Continuity of Operations Plan to Monitor Activities (09/02/2008) Hurricane Gustav Activity Statistics Update: September 1, 2008—MMS Activates its Continuity of Operations Plan to Monitor Activities (09/01/2008) Sperm Whales Reside in Deepwater Gulf of Mexico The MMS today released the results of a six-year, $9.3 million study on sperm whales, an endangered species living in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The Sperm Whale Seismic Study (SWSS) focused on the effects of seismic activities on sperm whales living in an area that is highly industrialized with oil and gas exploration and production activities. (08/21/2008) Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 207 Attracts $487,297,676 in High Bids Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that the Western Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207, held today in New Orleans, attracted $487,297,676 in high bids. The sale was conducted by Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) and had 53 companies submitting 423 bids on 319 tracts comprising over 1.8 million acres offshore Texas. The sum of all bids received totaled $607,134,968. (08/20/2008) Bids Received for Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale The bids are in for Western Gulf of Mexico Federal Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 to be held tomorrow. The MMS Gulf of Mexico Region announced that 423 bids were received from 47companies on 319 tracts offered offshore Texas. Reading of the sealed bids will take place tomorrow, August 20, beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Royal Sonesta Hotel, 300 Bourbon Street, New Orleans. (08/19/2008)
Last Updated: 09/17/2010, 05:12 PM Central Time
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