Environmental FAQs

Immediate cessation/control of the release or discharge and immediate corrective action is required, which may entail anything from a single process or unit of operation to a total shut-in of a facility. Only after the problem which caused the release or discharge is corrected may operations resume. The lessee must control and remove the pollutant at their own expense, or if necessary it may be done for them at their expense. The lessee retains any responsibility for the release or discharge.

Generally, non-planned releases or discharges on the OCS are reported to the National Response Center (NRC). Reporting should be done by the responsible party or may also be reported by anyone who notices evidence of a release or discharge, such as a sheen. In fact, all lessees and operators are required to report any evidence of a sheen or unauthorized release or discharge. Many unauthorized releases or discharges are simultaneously reported to EPA.

Regulations cover all pollution that occurs as a result of the operations conducted by, or on behalf of, a lessee that damages or threatens to damage life, property, mineral deposits, or the marine, coastal , and/or human environments. Water pollutants include produced oil, sand, drilling fluids and cuttings, manufactured or processed hydrocarbons, chemicals, and waste water. Rain water, fresh water, or sea water mixed with any of these constituents is considered a pollutant. Some cooling water intake structures are also regulated under NPDES permits to minimize environmental damage.

Clean Water Act and Regulations

Blocks that were leased prior to December 1973 and have OSC-G numbers lower than 2440 did not have either an archaeological lease stipulation or NTL requiring a specific survey line spacing interval. All blocks leased before December 1973 were said to be “grandfathered,” meaning they were never required to have an archaeological survey and analysis performed on them. On October 21, 1994, the MMS published the final archaeological rule 30 CFR 250, 256, 280, and 281in the Federal Register.

Yes; however, these previously prepared reports must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the block report is in compliance with GOMR’s NTL 2005-G07 and MMS’s 30 CFR 250, 256, 260, and 281. We suggest that these previously submitted archaeological surveys be resubmitted well in advance of any plans for exploration or development for the block. Surveys conducted before February 17, 1992, were probably surveyed at a 150-meter line spacing interval.

Generally, these reports are considered proprietary information owned by the previous lessee. Once a lease has expired or the block has been relinquished, the MMS archaeologists purge copies of the old reports from their files. We suggest that you contact the previous lessee and ask them for a copy of the report.

That information is now available on the MMS archaeology web page, Archaeology Survey Blocks. Click on the lease area, then search for your block.

Blocks determined to have a high probability for containing an historic shipwreck require survey at a 50-meter line spacing. Blocks with a high probability for prehistoric sites require survey at a 300-meter line spacing. Some blocks where our research tells us shipwrecks may exist are too deep for magnetometer survey. In these blocks, a standard 300-meter survey is required using a side-scan sonar.

Federal law requires that agencies consider the effects of an undertaking on significant archaeological resources. Significant archaeological resources are those archaeological resources that meet the criteria of Suwanee.gif (12410 bytes)significance for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places as defined in 36 CFR 60.4.