The MMS assists by keeping apprised of current activities and serving as an informal source of information for states and petroleum companies regarding the possibilities of donating platforms when leases are terminated. When a structure is converted, generally 50 percent of the savings realized by a petroleum company is donated to the state Artificial Reef Program and used for related program costs, as well as biological and geological research. All five coastal states bordering the Gulf have Artificial Reef Programs. Such monetary donations, however, are contingent on savings being realized, which is more likely to occur in the Gulf of Mexico where relocation costs are minimal. Of all the possible reef-building materials, however, offshore petroleum platforms are deemed most desirable because of their size, shape and design, according to Florida's Dade County Artificial Reef Program Coordinator Ben Mostkoff.
Artificial reefs increase viable habitat and improve biodiversity.
Boxcars, for instance, have been found to collapse after only a year or more. But offshore platforms are constructed originally and specifically for the marine environment, and for that reason are secure and reliable. Ideally the fish, the fishermen and divers, the petroleum companies, and the states will all benefit from Rigs to Reefs. To date, around 60 petroleum structures have been converted to permanent reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. An estimated five platforms have been donated to the State of Florida on behalf of fishery enhancement.