Environmental Studies Program

Science for Informed Decisions

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages the responsible 

exploration and development of energy and mineral resources on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS). The bureau promotes energy independence, 

environmental protection and economic development through responsible 

management of these resources based on the best available science. BOEM’s

Environmental Studies Program (ESP) develops, funds and manages 

rigorous scientific research to inform policy decisions regarding OCS resource development.

BOEM’s environmental studies cover a broad range of disciplines, including physical

oceanography, atmospheric sciences, biology, protected species, social sciences, economics, 

submerged cultural resources, and the environmental impacts of energy development. BOEM 

incorporates findings from the studies program into its consultation process, environmental 

reviews and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, which are used to determine 

steps to mitigate and/or monitor the impact of offshore conventional energy, renewable energy and 

mineral resource development on the OCS. A National Academies BOEM Committee on 

Offshore Science and Assessment (COSA) provides additional program peer review. 

Through the ESP, BOEM is a leading contributor to the growing body of scientific knowledge about 

the marine and coastal environment, funding more than $1 billion in research since the studies program

began in 1973. Technical summaries of more than 1,700 BOEM-sponsored environmental research 

projects and more than 3,500 research reports are publicly available online through the recently 

redesigned Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS). The new system provides 

unprecedented access and discovery of ESP data and information for use by the ocean science 

community.

BOEM oversees scientific research conducted through contracts, cooperative agreements with state 

institutions or public colleges and universities in affected coastal states, and inter- and intra-agency 

agreements. Such arrangements enable BOEM to leverage resources, meet national priorities and 

satisfy common needs for robust scientific information. The ESP regularly conducts research with 

partners under the umbrella of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, including several 

award-winning studies. ESP’s expertise is often sought for intergovernmental and international forums.

The Studies Development Plan for Fiscal Years 2017-2019 summarizes research priorities and potential 

new studies for the next three years, subject to the availability of funds.

The Department of the Interior established a Scientific Integrity Policy in 2011 to ensure and maintain

the integrity of scientific and scholarly activities used in Departmental decision making. BOEM has 

fully adopted the policy and is committed to securing independent, peer-reviewed environmental 

research, which is considered during every stage of the decision-making process. The Department of 

the Interior Scientific Integrity Policy is available at: http://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity/index.cfm.

FACT

SHEET
Ongoing Environmental Studies by Region & Program

Alaska Studies

Ongoing studies in Alaska focus on protected and endangered species; physical oceanography; 

wildlife biology; subsistence and traditional knowledge; and economic modeling. Some take 

place through the BOEM/University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute, established in 1993, to 

promote regional stakeholder participation. Most studies are focused on understanding and 

monitoring Arctic resources in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, but also include other Alaska 

OCS areas. The ESP actively collaborates with other federally and privately funded and 

international Arctic science programs, such as U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC) and 

the U.S. Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC).

Gulf of Mexico Studies

Ongoing studies in the Gulf of Mexico focus on impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 

archeological and biological research, chemosynthetic communities, deepwater corals and the Loop 

Current. The ESP has pioneered social and economic research on the complex network of 

interrelationships among the energy industry and the GOM region. Recent research also informs the 

sustainable use of OCS marine minerals for coastal restoration projects. In 2012, BOEM and the 

Louisiana State University celebrated the Coastal Marine Institute’s 20th anniversary.

Pacific Studies

The ESP has pioneered ocean research along the entire Pacific Coast of the United States. The 

current program includes platform biology studies, a long-standing highly acclaimed multi-agency 

intertidal monitoring program and in recent years, and studies to support renewable energy

development. In many cases, ESP studies’ results represent the only research of that type ever 

conducted in the ocean along the coast.

Atlantic Studies

In support of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, ESP collects information to assess the environment in 

support of renewable energy development. This includes a suite of studies to address the 

distribution and movements of birds, marine mammals, and sea turtles on the Outer Continental 

Shelf. The socioeconomic consequences of offshore wind development are also being evaluated, 

with studies covering port modifications, fishing, shipwrecks and paleolandscapes. Atlantic research also informs the Marine 

Minerals Program for coastal restoration and shore protection following storms like Hurricanes Sandy and Matthew, and 

decisions on potential oil and gas development in the Mid- and South Atlantic.

National Studies

At the headquarters level, the ESP develops and manages studies with bureau-wide applicability, and 

disseminates the findings. Studies include genetics research and archiving of OCS invertebrates by 

the Smithsonian, renewable energy space-use conflicts, marine mammal research, acoustics, and 

support of the Oil Spill Modeling Program.

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-BOEMupdated November 2016