Part
2, Sec. 2C6
Human Activities - Offshore Oil and Gas Activity
6.
Offshore Oil and Gas Activity
The
Secretary of the Interior has the statutory authority and responsibility
to plan for and to conduct the offering of leases of OCS acreage,
as directed in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended
(OCSLA) (43 U.S.C. § 1331 et seq.). Within
the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Minerals Management
Service (MMS) has primary responsibility for management of OCS
minerals operations.
Pursuant
to Section 18 of the OCSLA, the Secretary of the Interior, through
the MMS, prepares, periodically revises, and maintains an oil
and gas leasing program to carry out OCSLA policies. (43 U.S.C.
§ 1344). This leasing program consists of a schedule of
proposed offshore lease sales indicating as precisely as possible
the size, timing, and location of leasing activity determined
to best meet national energy requirements for the five-year
period following approval or re-approval of the schedule. Previous
to 1978, OCS leasing programs were issued via discretionary
act of the Secretary of DOI. In June 1980, the first five-year
OCS oil and gas leasing program was approved, covering the period
September 1980 through June 1985. To date, a total of three
five-year programs have been approved, the last of which covers
the period between mid-1987 and mid-1992.
For
purposes of OCS oil and gas leasing activities, the Atlantic
OCS Region (extending from offshore Maine to the Florida Keys)
is subdivided into four planning areas. Stellwagen Bank occurs
within the northwest portion of the North Atlantic Planning
Area of the Atlantic OCS Region (Figure 10). Within this Planning
Area, three areas of hydrocarbon potential have been identified:
1) the Gulf of Maine; 2) the Georges Bank Basin, and 3) the
deep-water area seaward of the continental slope. Limited geological
and geophysical data exist related to the Gulf of Maine area;
and the petroleum potential of this area is not well known.
(U.S. DOI, MMS, 1989). The first of two COST (Continental Offshore
Stratigraphic Test) wells was drilled in the Georges Bank Basin
in April 1976. Eight additional wells were drilled in the Georges
Bank Basin in 1981-1982. Drilling sites ranged from 110 to 150
miles southeast of Nantucket Island. The results of these drillings
were negative, and the wells were subsequently plugged. No OCS
oil and gas lease sale activities have been conducted within
the area of the proposed Sanctuary. No exploratory wells have
been drilled anywhere on the Atlantic OCS since 1984.
Initial
industry interest in the overall Atlantic OCS region focused
on an ancient buried reef trend, believed to extend intermittently
from Massachusetts to Florida. However, industry interest in
the Atlantic OCS has decreased since 1984 for two reasons: 1)
leasing moratoria and numerous OCS subarea deferrals; and 2)
failure to locate commercially viable quantities of oil or natural
gas. (U.S. DOI, MMS, 1989).
The
current 5-Year Leasing Program Mid-1987 to Mid-1992 proposes
two lease sales for the North Atlantic Region: Sale #96 (scheduled
for February 1989), and Sale #134, (scheduled for February 1992).
Both Sales are currently cancelled due to a Presidential Order,
signed on June 26, 1990. Under that Order, no OCS leasing and
development activity may occur in the Georges Bank area of the
North Atlantic Planning Area until after the year 2000. Stellwagen
Bank is included within the area covered by this Order. Therefore,
no leases will be offered within the vicinity of the proposed
Sanctuary in the foreseeable future. However, based upon the
September 25, 1990 recommendation of the Director of MMS, the
North Atlantic Planning Area would be considered for MMS geologic
and environmental studies during the currently proposed mid-1992
to mid-1997 five-year oil and gas leasing program.
Marine
transportation issues related to the transport of oil and gas
resources have also been examined for the North Atlantic Planning
Area. The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office has conducted
a preliminary pipeline siting study for natural gas originating
from the OCS. The study focused on the types of data necessary
for identification of natural gas pipeline corridors, including
physical, geological, and biological features and existing land-use
patterns. Transportation scenarios are developed based on the
proximity of potential hydrocarbon discoveries to existing refineries
or processing facilities. Preliminary identification also was
made of potential pipeline corridors. However, since no commercially
producible quantities of oil and gas have been discovered, no
pipeline or tanker routes have been designated.
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