Decommissioning FAQs

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has broad authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect natural resources of the OCS. With the reorganization of the Department of the Interior’s Mineral Management Service, the role of DOI in Rigs-to-Reefs was split, as follows: Within DOI, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is responsible for regulatory, safety, environmental and conservation compliance for the development of the nation’s offshore oil and gas and renewable energy resources.

If a Council designates and NOAA approves the designation of an oil and gas structure (or other artificial structures) as EFH, NOAA and the Council are required to consider actions to minimize the adverse impacts of fishing activities on such EFH. Additionally, a Federal agency would be required to consult with NOAA if that Federal agency proposes to authorize, fund, or undertake an activity that may adversely affect the designated EFH.

By definition, EFH must be necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. Essential fish habitats are those necessary to maintain a sustainable fishery and the managed species’ contribution to a healthy ecosystem. In order for NOAA to approve a Council’s proposal to designate oil and gas structures as EFH, a Council would need to demonstrate a linkage between the habitat functions and one or more major life history stages of one or more species managed under the MSA. Currently, there are no oil and gas structures in any U.S. waters designated as EFH.

The recreational fishing and diving communities asked the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to consider designating oil and gas platforms as EFH. These communities value the structures for the recreational fishing and diving opportunities the structures provide that would be lost if the structures are removed from the water. In response to this request, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council discussed the matter at their August 2012 meeting.

Regional Fishery Management Councils (Councils) are responsible for proposing essential fish habitat designations to NOAA for approval. NOAA reviews and determines if proposed essential fish habitat designations meet regulatory criteria for approval. Councils are composed of Federal and State marine resource agency representatives, as well as private citizens who are knowledgeable about fishery conservation and management and who are nominated by State governors and approved by the Secretary of Commerce.

The term "essential fish habitat" or EFH is defined under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and refers to waters and substrate necessary for fish to spawn, breed, feed or grow to maturity. Essential fish habitats are those necessary to maintain fish production consistent with a sustainable fishery and the managed species’ contribution to a healthy ecosystem.

As of September 2012, at least 359 of the 2,996 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to be decommissioned before the end of 2013.

This approximation is based on the number of existing platforms on expired leases.

As of January 1, 2017, 515 platforms have been converted to permanent artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. This includes:

• Louisiana - 350
• Texas - 145
• Mississippi - 12
• Alabama - 5
• Florida - 3

As of April 2019, there are approximately 1,862 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf of Mexico OCS currently has 11 designated reefing areas. In addition, BSEE is currently working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to develop two new artificial reef planning areas off the coast of Corpus Christi. The State of Texas has designated a large reefing area in the High Island OCS area where the reefing option is available for obsolete oil and gas structures subject to the terms and conditions of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers general permit.