The Minerals Management
Service's mission is to manage the mineral resources on the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) in an environmentally sound and safe manner and to
collect, verify, and distribute mineral revenues from Federal and Indian
lands in a timely manner.
The MMS:
The MMS administers 27 million
acres of the OCS, which supplies more than 27 percent of the natural gas and 20 percent of
the oil produced in the United States. We collect approximately $4 billion per year in
royalties, rents, and bonuses from onshore and offshore mineral leases.
As a regulator of offshore oil
and gas, MMS has expertise in explaining the way its regulations work from "cradle to
grave"- from the time the rights are granted to explore to the clean up of an offshore
site when production ceases. The MMS monitors a diverse industry and balances its performance-based regulatory system with prescription where necessary.
International Activities
The MMS takes an active approach
to identify and to become involved in international initiatives that promote better
integration of safety and environmental concerns into offshore development
decisionmaking. To do this we focus on:
|
monitoring, developing, and refining safety and environmental
standards; |
|
technical
and information exchanges with our international regulatory
counterparts; and |
|
providing
technical advice to the U.S. Department of State. |
Internationalization of
Offshore Oil and Gas Standards - Today, many offshore oil and gas producing
nations are considering what role developed standards should play in their overall
regulatory regime. Governments understand that, if done correctly, a set of
internationalized standards that allows for regional differences can lower costs, make
more resources economic to produce, and raise worldwide safety and environmental
performance. If done incorrectly, internationalized standards that are imposed on the
industry from external sources can be inefficient, costly, and burdensome.
The MMS is actively
participating in the activities of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO, Technical
Committee 67. The standards developed by this ISO group will impact the oil and gas
industry for years to come.
Technical and
Information Exchanges
Memoranda of Understanding
(MOU) - The MMS has entered into MOUs with Norway, China, Australia, Indonesia
and Russia to exchange scientific and technical information related to offshore oil, gas
and mineral activity. The MOUs allow for cooperation and information exchanges on
virtually all aspects of offshore safety and environmental management.
Technical Assistance to
Caspian Sea Countries - With funding from the U.S. Agency for International
Development, MMS provides advice and assistance to the countries of Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, and Georgia, as they continue their efforts to implement legislative and
regulatory reforms to provide more stable regulatory regimes. The experience and expertise
MMS is providing through technical assistance workshops and regulatory partnerships is
designed to help these countries develop and implement regulatory systems that incorporate
modern-day safety and environmental standards.
Russian Offshore Oil and
Gas Environment and Safety Regulatory Regime - In 1997, MMS (with funding from U.S.
AID and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD)) was asked by the Russian Ministry of
Natural Resources (MNR) to assist them in evaluating and reforming the Russian offshore
oil and gas regulatory system. The first phase of this project termed "RUNARC"
from Russia/U.S.A./Norway Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Regime was completed in December
1998 with the publication of a Feasibility Study Report (FSR). The MNR in conjunction with
several Russian agencies and ministries and with technical assistance from MMS and NPD
finished the FSR which includes a thorough review of the current Russian system,
identifies regulatory gaps and overlapping authority, and makes recommendations for
reforming their regime to meet Russias changing needs. The proposed regime would
bring the Russian system in line with modern International standards and practices. The
second phase of this three-phase project is currently underway and will set the foundation
for this change by developing Russian standards for offshore operations, list all laws,
regulations, and guidelines, and will set out the responsibilities of Russian authorities
for regulating offshore oil and gas operations. The proposed Phase III of this project
will implement a new comprehensive regime and is estimated to take approximately
five years
to complete.
Technical Assistance to
Bangladesh - Under an Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy and funding
from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the MMS is working with the Government
of Bangladesh to provide technical assistance as they consider ways to restructure the
responsibilities of their Ministry of Energy and the national oil company, Petrobangla. A
two-fold effort is planned: a workshop in Dhaka on the role and responsibilities of a
government regulatory agency in managing a nations mineral resources, and a visit to
the United States by a delegation of Bangladesh government and Petrobangla representatives
to meet with U.S. policy makers and managers in government agencies, regulatory staff in
the field, and representatives from regulated oil and gas companies.
Technical Assistance to
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economies - MMS will continue to work with the
Department of State to provide technical assistance to APEC economies. Topics of
cooperation include oil spill response and cooperation, offshore oil and gas platform
decommissioning, and managing aging offshore infrastructure.
Technical Advice to the
Department of State - MMS will continue to assist and monitor the activities of the
Convention on the Law of the Sea, the London Convention of 1972, and the International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution Guidelines for offshore oil and gas operations,
and provides technical assistance to the U.S. Department of State on negotiations with Mexico
regarding the boundary in the Western Gap of the Gulf of Mexico. Participation in these
types of reviews and negotiations is vital to the Nations domestic oil and gas
industry.
For more information about the International
Activities Program, please contact:
International Activities Program
381 Elden Street (MS 4030)
Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817
(703) 787-1300
FAX (703)787-1284
Australia |
Bangladesh | Canada |
China | Georgia |
India | Indonesia |
Kazakhstan
Norway | Russia |
Turkmenistan |
United Kingdom
APEC | International
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