Visions,

Partners, and

Possibilities

Atlantis Field:

No Myth

Securing

Offshore Oil

and Gas

Production in

the 2006

Hurricane

Season

OCS Lease

Sales in the

Chukchi Sea

Historic

Shipwrecks

of the Gulf

of Mexico

MMS Continues

to Study

and Protect

Valuable

Resources

Visions,

Partners, and

Possibilities

Atlantis Field:

No Myth

Securing

Offshore Oil

and Gas

Production in

the 2006

Hurricane

Season

OCS Lease

Sales in the

Chukchi Sea

Historic

Shipwrecks

of the Gulf

of Mexico

MMS Continues

to Study

and Protect

Valuable

Resources

MMS

SCIENCE

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 4 

JULY/AUGUST 2006

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE
THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JULY/AUGUST 2006 Volume 3 Issue 4

3 Visions, Partners, and Possibilities

4 Atlantis Field: 

No Myth

6 Securing Offshore Oil and

Gas Production in the 2006

Hurricane Season

8 OCS Lease Sales in the Chukchi Sea

9 Education Corner: Historic Shipwrecks

of the Gulf of Mexico

10 MMS Continues to Study and

Protect Valuable Resources

12 New Waves

Late-breaking News & Information

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our site on the World Wide Web:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

To receive MMS OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up on the website

www.gomr.mms.gov, click on e-mail subscriptions on the left-hand

column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or e-mail

deborah.epperson@mms.gov or call (504) 736-3257

2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

MMS

SCIENCE

JULY/AUGUST 2006 

Volume 3 Issue 4

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

bi-monthly by the Minerals

Management Service to communicate

recent ocean science and technological

information and issues of interest related

to offshore mineral recovery, ocean

stewardship, and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions,

comments, suggestions, and changes

of address to:

Deborah Epperson

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

deborah.epperson@mms.gov

(504) 736-3257

ABOUT THE COVERS

Top: Blue King Crab. Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Photo: Scott Van Sant.

Bottom: Point Barrow in the winter. A NOAA Clean Air

Atmospheric Observatory is located here.

Back: Background platform image by

Gregory S. Boland.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by Schatz Publishing Group
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST 2006 3

Companies that invested in

the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)

deepwater region decades

before technology existed to

explore the resources far

below are beginning to see the results of

their foresight. Such is the case with

BP’s Atlantis project, scheduled for

mooring later this year.

Other visionaries believe that the

Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf

(OCS) holds similar reserves and

conditions are right to act on their

hunches. Partly because of this renewed

industry interest, the Minerals

Management Service (MMS) continues

partnering with others to study potential

effects of activity in the region.

Sometimes we evaluate possible

scenarios and predict probable

consequences. Other times, we look at

known issues and incorporate those

findings into our decisionmaking. And

sometimes we must study what happens

after a catastrophic incident, such as the

devastating 2005 hurricane season that

left much of the oil and gas industry in

the GOM region reeling, to learn how to

prepare ourselves best for the future. 

Will areas such as the Chukchi Sea

someday rival the volume of oil and gas

production in the GOM, which now

provides a considerable portion of the

Nation’s energy supply? Will one of the

new areas eventually become a more

feasible place to extract resources and

emulate the GOM region, where huge

deepwater projects now command

industry interest? Will technology

evolve in a direction that allows

GOM platforms to survive virtually

untouched during storm seasons in

the coming years?

While the future may not be entirely

predictable, there are some things that

can be stated with certainty: MMS

remains steadfastly committed to

protecting the environment in areas of

heightened interest and in areas of

existing activity. Even within the Pacific

Region, where production is waning, we

must determine the best methods for

decommissioning oil and gas platforms

while leaving delicate ecosystems intact. 

Regardless of the region, MMS will

continue to study, monitor, and

responsibly manage the Nation’s natural

gas, oil, and other mineral resources

on the OCS.

AND

POSSIBILITIES

VISIONS, PARTNERS,
4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

According to legend, Atlantis

is a fabled island in the

Atlantic that sank beneath

the sea. In reality, however,

Atlantis is one of the most

exciting Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil and

gas projects in history, and with good

reason.

Discovered in 1998, the Atlantis

field is located approximately 298

kilometers (185 miles) south of New

Orleans in Green Canyon Blocks 699,

700, 742, 743, and 744. The Atlantis

production platform sits in a record

water depth of 2,156 meters (7,074 feet).

The field is the third largest ever

discovered in the GOM. Atlantis will be

developed utilizing two facilities, a

production and quarters (PQ) facility on

Block 787 and a separate drilling facility

located in Block 743.

Impressive as its depth and reserves

potential are, Atlantis is garnering

ATLANTIS FIELD:

NO MYTH

Atlantis at

a glance:

GVA 27000 Process and Quarters unit intended for the Atlantis development field in the Gulf of Mexico. Owner: BP

attention for other reasons too.

Scientists, geologists, and Research &

Development teams from around the

world will watch as Atlantis is moored.

That operation, which began in the third

quarter of 2006, utilizes relatively new

technology to locate and extract the oil

and gas resources from thousands of feet

below the seafloor. Experience gained

and new technology used while

developing other well-known fields (e.g.,

Mad Dog, and Thunderhorse) are being

utilized on the Atlantis project, along

with some “firsts” for this behemoth.

Initial Atlantis development is based

on reservoir images available during

discovery and appraisal. However,

significant hydrocarbons in the field sit

beneath salt formations, making them

harder to image. BP is applying new

seismic imaging technology and has

recently completed the world’s deepest

and largest full field ocean bottom

seismic acquisition, utilizing an array of

Start Date: 2007

Platform Design:

Semisubmersible

Blocks: Green

Canyon 699, 700, 742,

743, and 744

Platform Production

Rating: 200,000 barrels

of oil per day, 180

million cubic feet of gas

per day.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST 2006 5

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION:

Website:

http://www.bp.com/genericarti

cle.do?categoryId=9004519&co

ntentId=7008067

http://www.bp.com/genericarti

cle.do?categoryId=9006198&co

ntenId=7013436

independent nodes (seismic sensors) on

the ocean floor, covering a 240-km2 area.

This will provide improved definition

of the full reservoir potential and help

increase the reserves and enhance the

long-term development plan. 

A rig was custom built for Atlantis,

part semisubmersible drilling rig and

part construction vessel. Rather than just

focus on drilling, completions, and

installation of well trees, the Atlantis

team helped GlobalSantaFe design the

Development Driller II (DD2) with the

ability to install piping and heavy

equipment that rest on the bottom and

interconnect wells. The Atlantis

production facility, the PQ, is equipped

with the longest continuous wire

mooring ropes ever built, and the

platform will be anchored in place by 12

large suction piles embedded in the

ocean floor to hold it in place. 

How much oil and gas will this

mammoth unit yield? Atlantis

production design capacity is 200,000

barrels of oil per day and 180 million

cubic feet of gas. The Atlantis

development plan also calls for drilling

and completion of nearby production

and injection wells. If production

estimates increase, Atlantis is prepared to

handle the growth because the host

facility will be able to accommodate

twice the number of risers required for

the number of wells currently planned.

Another exciting aspect of Atlantis is

that its oil and gas will move through

the Mardi Gras Gas Transportation

System, the highest capacity deepwater

pipeline ever built. When complete, the

Atlantis

five main lines and two smaller lines

will transport 50 percent of all current

deepwater Gulf production at depths

of more than 7,000 feet. With diameters

up to 30 inches, Mardi Gras capacity is

more than 1 million barrels of crude

and 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural

gas per day. 
6 --MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

I

n 2005, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)

endured an unusual volume of

destructive hurricanes. Records

have been kept concerning storm

activities of the Atlantic basin since

1871, and the GOM storms of 2005

were the worst in the history of the

United States.

In July 2005, Hurricane Dennis

blew through as a Category 3 hurricane.

Dennis resulted in storm surge and

wind damage of more than $2 billion

along the Florida and Alabama coasts,

along with scattered wind and flood

damage in Georgia, Mississippi, and

Tennessee. Yet Dennis was merely a

prelude of things to come.

Hurricane Katrina arrived in August

2005 and crossed the U.S. coast near

Miami, Florida, as a Category 1 storm.

Katrina then moved into the Gulf and

increased intensity to a Category 5 prior

to making landfall as a Category 4 along

the eastern Louisiana and western

Mississippi coastlines. Katrina produced

severe storm surge damage along the

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama

coasts, wind damage, and caused the

failure of parts of the levee system in

New Orleans. Inland effects included

high winds and some flooding in the

states of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida,

Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and

Georgia. Preliminary damages were

estimated to exceed $100 billion,

making this the most expensive natural

disaster in U.S. history.

Hurricane Rita followed on the

heels of Katrina in September 2005,

reaching Category 5 over the warm Gulf

waters before downgrading to a

Category 3 hurricane at landfall along

the coastal border region of Texas and

Louisiana. Rita created significant storm

surge and wind damage along the

coast, and some inland flooding in the

Florida panhandle, Mississippi,

Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.

Preliminary estimates exceeded $8

billion in damage.

Hurricane Dennis took a path that

kept it close to the Gulf Coast of

Florida, crossing the Florida panhandle

and diminishing to a tropical depression

over Alabama. The impacts to oil and

gas operations within the Gulf were

minimal. However, the same could not

be said for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The MMS estimates that 3,050 of

the Gulf’s 4,000 platforms and 22,000

of the 33,000 miles of Gulf pipelines

were in the direct path of either

Hurricane Katrina or Rita. Because of

the large amount of infrastructure in the

path of hurricane-force winds and

waves, the amount of damage was

substantial. However, there was no loss

of life and no significant environmental

damage from wells on the OCS

attributed to either storm.

MMS Regional Director Chris

Oynes noted, “The overall damage

caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

has shown them to be the greatest

natural disasters to oil and gas

development in the history of the Gulf

of Mexico.” 

In preparation for the 2006

hurricane season, MMS implemented

several improvements to their oversight

system. They include

1. Extensive pre-season planning

with the Department of Energy and the

U.S. Coast Guard to facilitate

communications during storms.

2. Coordination with the industry

to improve safety, specifically through

Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU)

improvements, jack-up site assessment

guidelines, risk assessment tools, and

platform upgrades.

3. Inviting a representative of the

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to join the

MMS Continuity of Operations Plan

SECURING OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION IN THE

2006 HURRICANE SEASON

Hurricane Katrina about to make landfall.
The power of Hurricane Katrina was evidenced throughout the Gulf Coast Region.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST 2006 7

(COOP) team. This will improve and

enhance communications regarding

damage to facilities, and subsequent

warnings to mariners by the USCG.

4. Improvements to electronic

hurricane reporting system to improve

communications between industry

and MMS. 

The MMS also requested research

proposals in six areas related to

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and their

damage to offshore oil and gas facilities.

1. Assess and evaluate pipeline

movement or damage. The MMS

remains attentive to the destructive

forces of the hurricanes and the

extensive challenges to protect pipelines

in advance of hurricanes and to re-start

pipeline production following these

natural catastrophic events. 

2. Assess and evaluate platform

damage. The objective of this effort is to

conduct a qualitative and quantitative

assessment of fixed offshore platforms

that were affected by Hurricane Katrina

and/or Rita. Resulting data will be

evaluated to determine if any common

trends occur and to determine if current

American Petroleum Institute (API)

standards are an accurate indicator of

expected performance.

3. Provide hurricane hindcast data.

A study to develop a database of wind,

sea state, and currents resulting from

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

meteorological data and application of

advanced hindcast models. Ocean

Weather, Inc. (OWI) responded to

urgent industry needs for a preliminary

assessment of the impact of Hurricanes

Katrina and Rita by performing and

distributing an “Emergency Response

(ER)” wind and wave hindcast. As part

of this MMS-funded study, OWI has

made the ER data available to other

MMS-contracted researchers. Following

completion of their new work, OWI will

deliver a second and more in-depth

hindcast data analysis (referred to as

“Fast Response” or FR). 

4. Evaluate and assess the

performance of jack-up rigs. The

destructive forces of hurricanes

challenge jack-up rigs and knowing how

they have performed is essential for

future preparations. 

5. Assess methods to eliminate

hydrates in pipelines and risers during

startup after a hurricane. This joint

industry project will study risk-based restarts of untreated subsea oil and gas

flowlines in the GOM. During a

hurricane, pipelines are shut-in to stop

oil production. This study will

determine if it is possible to reduce the

risk of a hydrate (hydrocarbon and

water compound formed at reduced

temperatures resembling snow or

ice) plug by selecting an appropriate

restart rate.

6. Assess the response of waves and

currents throughout the water column

in the northern Gulf of Mexico slope

and shelf. 

Using numerical modeling

techniques in conjunction with available

meteorological and physical

oceanographic data, this study aims at

a. a realistic simulation of

circulation throughout the entire water

column in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

continental slope and shelf regions,

including the response of currents and

waves to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; 

b. determination of the length

of time for which substantial ocean

response to these hurricanes

persisted; and

c. determination of the area or

areas of greatest wave height and speed

of the current.
resources (including the bowhead

whale), provided that mitigation

measures appropriate to area and

season are in place. The MMS worked

with the National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (USF&WS) to provide

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) coverage for the incidental

harassment authorizations and

consulted on endangered species

located in the area. 

Because of the current industry

interest, MMS has tentatively

scheduled an areawide lease sale in the

Chukchi Sea (Sale 193) in late 2007 or

early 2008. Originally proposed under

the 5-Year Program of 2002-2007,

plans are now to incorporate several

more Chukchi sales in the next 5-year

plan. Environmental protections will

include a leasing exclusion zone along

the Chukchi coastline, which is a key

migratory corridor for bowhead whales

and migratory birds. 

If exploration is successful, the

Chukchi Sea could provide decades

of oil and gas production to help

meet the future energy needs of

the Nation. 

Seismic surveys are projected to

run from July to November 2006, at

which time a more concrete picture of

industry commitment will begin to

develop. The MMS, which has

analyzed seismic survey activity and its

potential impacts on the Arctic and

reviewed hundreds of documents from

around the world, has concluded that

no significant adverse impacts will

affect any native or resident marine

8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

T

he Chukchi Sea, located off

northwestern Alaska, has the

potential to hold very large

volumes of oil and gas

resources. The Minerals

Management Service (MMS) estimates

that 2-40 billion barrels of

conventionally recoverable oil and 10-

210 trillion cubic feet of conventionally

recoverable gas could occur in this

remote Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

province. This represents 58% of

all undiscovered oil and gas that could

be present in all of Alaska’s OCS

planning areas. 

Despite these impressive figures,

interest in the area by the oil industry

has been low over the past 15 years.

Two lease sales in the late 1980’s and

five exploration wells failed to discover

commercial quantities of oil. The

remoteness of the area and harsh

Arctic conditions increase the costs of

operations compared with other areas,

and low oil prices did not support

profitable operations.

However, industry has renewed

interest in this remote and rugged

offshore province. With ever-increasing

dependence upon foreign oil,

skyrocketing gasoline prices, and the

loss of jobs to foreign countries with

lower costs, the opportunities in this

rich area cannot be ignored. Many

companies, with experience gained

in other hostile offshore environments,

see the Chukchi Sea as a new area

of opportunity in terms of oil and

natural gas.

In the summer of 2006, offshore

seismic operations will collect 2-D and

3-D surveys at selected sites within the

sale area proposed for Sale 193 in the

Chukchi Sea. Shell Offshore Inc.,

ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc., and GX

Technology Corporation were

permitted to conduct seismic surveys

on a proposed area of the Chukchi Sea

numbering approximately 34 million

acres located offshore of northwestern

Alaska, following a line roughly from

Barrow in the north to Point Hope in

the south. 

OCS LEASE SALES

IN THE CHUKCHI SEA

The population of bowhead whales in the western Arctic, known as the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea Stock,

has doubled in number in recent decades. More than 10,000 now swim in Alaska waters.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST 2006 9

“Historic Shipwrecks of the Gulf of Mexico” is a poster that

features some of the fascinating historic shipwrecks that have been

identified in the Gulf of Mexico through oil and gas industryrelated surveys. 

This poster can be obtained at no charge from the Minerals

Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Attn: Public

Information Office, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,

Louisiana 70123-2394. Telephone orders are accepted at 1-800-

200-GULF (1-504-736-2519). 

For more information about the Minerals Management

Service and the Gulf of Mexico Region, science careers, and

resources on general topics related to MMS activities:

http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lagniapp/lagniapp.html 

EDUCATION CORNER
Because of the large numbers

of bears concentrating near human

developments and the subsequent

potential for increased bear-human

interactions, information obtained

from this study can guide management

activities aimed at minimizing

those interactions. 

Analyzing the potential for adverse

and significant impacts is critical because

it provides decisionmakers the necessary

information to act on future issues. For

example, a recent report summarized

findings on the impact of sediment load

on biological communities in nearshore

fast ice and underlying waters close to

Barrow Alaska (Susceptibility of Sea Ice

Bota to Disturbances in the Shallow

Beaufort Sea: Phase 1: Biological Coupling

of Sea Ice with the Pelagic and Benthic

Realms, OCS Study MMS 2006-062).

Sampling, done in 2002 and 2003,

shows sea ice sediments have a profound

impact on sea ice biology, suppressing

biological spring bloom formation and

decreasing the abundance of ice fauna

compared to a clean ice location. Armed

with that information, management

can determine ways to decrease

the sediment.

Ice caught the attention of

researchers for another reason, too.

Arctic sea ice off the coast of northern

Alaska has undergone significant

Cross Islands, Alaska, 2002-2004, OCS

Study MMS 2006-14).

By determining the demographics

of polar bears using Barter and Cross

Islands during fall months and

monitoring their behavior and habitat

use, resource managers will be better

equipped to assess oil and gas lease

sales, exploration and development

projects, and oil-spill contingency

planning. These studies lead to new

information and oftentimes new

questions to be explored. For example,

are changes in ice conditions or food

availability contributing to the increased

use of coastal habitat in the Beaufort

Sea? Is the presence of large males at the

carcass sites an indicator of food stress in

the marine environment? 

MMS CONTINUES TO STUDY AND PROTECT

VALUABLE RESOURCES

10 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

T

he Minerals Management

Service (MMS) has long been a

steward of the environment,

and partnering with other

organizations to conduct

studies is a big component of its efforts.

Without a thorough understanding of

the ecology in the areas managed, we

can only guess at how activities affect

various resources.

Recent reports and study findings

demonstrate an ongoing MMS

commitment to learn, but we still have

work to do in some areas. For example,

king eiders are one of the most northerly

nesting ducks, but migration counts at

Point Barrow, Alaska, indicate apparent

declines between 1976 and 1996. Some

of the highest known density of nesting

king eiders on the north slope of Alaska

occurs within the National Petroleum

Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), which is being

developed for oil and gas exploration,

so it is important to examine factors

that influence the nest site choice of

king eiders. 

In a recent report, MMS partners

looked at the habitat and behavior of

king eiders between their arrival and

departure at two breeding locations

(Breeding Biology of King Eiders on the

Coastal Plain of Northern Alaska, OCS

Study MMS 2005-060). Nest success and

brood survival were low at both study

sites. At this time, it is not known where

king eider females with broods disperse

to and the habitats used during the

critical brood rearing period. This

information could be very beneficial to

mitigate potential impacts of oil

extraction on the North Slope. While

there is much more to learn about king

eiders, the information gathered was

critical for a baseline understanding of

their nesting ecology. 

Similarly, research was conducted

on polar bears feeding on bowhead

whale carcasses along the Beaufort

Sea coast to determine how any

possible disturbance from oil and gas

development and other human activities

could be minimized (Demographics

and Behavior of Polar Bears Feeding on

Bowhead Whale Carcasses at Barter and

Looking back 

at some of our

accomplishments

reminds us that we

still have much to

learn about

our environment. 

, 
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE JULY/AUGUST 2006 11

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION

MMS Studies

Website: http://www.gomr.mms.

gov/homepg/espis/

espisfront.asp

Healthy oceans and the surrounding environment are a prime focus of MMS.

changes in the past two decades. Among

the most startling findings was a

reduction in summer ice with four

consecutive record minima attained

(2001-2005) and a substantial thinning

of the ice pack. Mapping and

documenting changes in the distribution

of spring lead systems and landfast ice

off the northern Alaska coast provides

baseline data to evaluate further changes

and compares present-day conditions to

studies conducted in the 1970’s

(Mapping and Characterization of

Recurring Spring Leads and Landfast Ice in

the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, OCS Study

MMS 2005-068).

A recent look at oil-spill occurrence

estimates for several probable future oil

and gas development scenarios in the

Beaufort Sea Offshore Continental Shelf

(OCS) lease regions provided valuable

information for industry and

government as well 1 (Alternative Oil

Spill Occurrence Estimators and Their

Variability for the Beaufort Sea – Fault Tree

Method: OCS Study MMS 2005-061, Final

Report, Volume 1).

Sufficient historical data on offshore

oil spills for these regions do not exist,

so an “oil-spill occurrence model” based

on fault tree methodology was

developed and applied. Using the fault

trees, base data from the Gulf of Mexico

(GOM) were modified to represent

expected Arctic offshore oil spillage

frequencies. The report indicates

that, generally, the non-Arctic spill

indicators were likely to be significantly

higher than those for similar scenarios

in the Arctic.

In the Pacific region, where

production has been stable for the past

few years, the focus of future research

has shifted to environmental monitoring

and understanding the role that offshore

oil and gas platforms play in the regional

marine ecology of Southern California.

Many populations of commercially

important fish have been overfished and

are in drastic decline except at offshore

oil and gas facilities. These facilities tend

to have reduced fishing pressures, and

MMS research has demonstrated that

they serve as fish habitat and recruitment

sites. Some research continues into

future decommissioning of the

deepwater rigs offshore California and

into the possible new and innovative

uses for existing oil and gas platforms.

The Pacific Region is continuing with its

long-term rocky shoreline monitoring

research efforts via the Multi-Agency

Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) and

in-house staff scientists’ research. These

efforts are well into their second decade

of data collection and have compiled

unique, long-term datasets for the rocky

shoreline adjacent to offshore oil and gas

operations. This year, the Pacific OCS

Region has teamed with the U.S.

Geological Survey Biological Resources

Division (USGS BRD) for an effort to

publish to the web much of the marine

mammal and seabird data that MMS has

funded beginning in the late 1970’s and

extending to the present. These data

cover the entire Pacific Coast from

Mexico to Canada.

Looking back at some of our

accomplishments reminds us that we

still have much to learn about our

environment. The MMS serves as the

Nation’s steward of the offshore energy

resources and is committed to ensuring

that our environment is protected as we

explore these resources. Through sound

study endeavors with our educational

and industry partners, MMS can fulfill its

mission on the basis of information it

gains from ongoing research.
MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

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MMS – A Leader in 

Securing the Nation’s

Domestic Energy

Supply

NEW WAVES Late-breaking News & Information

Divers take closeup shots of aquatic life.

Gulf of Mexico Alliance Shares Resources to Protect Region

calls for measurable progress within 3-5 years on the

following priority issues: 

(1) water quality; 

(2) wetlands restoration; 

(3) environmental education; 

(4) characterization of Gulf habitats; and 

(5) reduction of nutrient inputs.

Specific actions within the Plan are underway,

particularly those that support Gulf Coast recovery, and

rebuilding efforts following the 2005 hurricane season

and steps to mitigate future environmental and

economic impacts created by hurricane damage. 

For more information on the Gulf of Mexico Alliance,

go to http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gulf/default.htm

I

n 2004, Florida’s governor challenged fellow governors in

Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to join in a

regional effort to protect the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

Shortly thereafter, they formed the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to

share expertise and financial resources for protecting the

complex GOM ecosystem, which comprises about half the

wetlands in the United States. President Bush’s U.S. Ocean

Action Plan (USOAP) recognized the Alliance leadership, and

13 Federal agencies soon pledged their support. 

In March 2006, the Alliance focused attention on

achieving sustainable economies and environmental quality

within the GOM region by releasing a Governors’ Action Plan

for Healthy and Resilient Coasts. This Action Plan is a starting

point with short- and long-term goals for creating a healthier

GOM ecosystem and economy. With input from Gulf State

citizens collected during eight workshops, the Action Plan