U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Public Affairs

NEWS RELEASE

Minerals Management Service to Adopt the Latest Edition of Industry  Standard on Fixed Offshore Production Platforms

      Today the MMS published a final rule to incorporate, by reference, into its regulations the 21^st edition of the American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2A (API RP 2A-WSD), “Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms—Working Stress Design.” 

       Incorporating the 21^st edition of API RP 2A-WSD into MMS regulations will streamline the permitting of all fixed platforms in the OCS.  The 21st edition updates and replaces the 19^th and 20^th editions of API RP 2A-WSD, which are already incorporated, by reference, into MMS regulations. 

       MMS will also cancel two National Notices to Lessees and Operators (NTLs) related to the 19^th and 20^th editions of API RP 2A—(1) NTL No. 98-1N, “Interim Guidance for Applying Platform Design Criteria”; and (2) NTL No. 98-4N “Interim Guidance ‘Simplified Fatigue Analysis’ Procedure.”  MMS had published the NTLs, in cooperation with the API RP 2A industry workgroup, to provide guidance on applying or recalculating certain design criteria specified in the 19^th and 20^th editions of API RP 2A that were found to be either inadequate or in error. 

       Incorporating the 21^st edition will immediately correct the deficiencies that the API workgroup identified in the 19^th and 20^th editions of API RP 2A.  Lessees and operators will not have to continue to perform the corrective calculations and procedures called for in NTLs No. 98-1N and No. 98-4N.

        On December 27, 2001, MMS proposed to amend Subpart I of 30 CFR Part 250 and to incorporate into its regulations nine industry standards, including the 21^st edition of API RP 2A-WSD, pertaining primarily to floating production platforms.  During the subsequent comment period, MMS received no objections to incorporating, by reference, the 21^st edition of API RP 2A-WSD into its regulations. 

       MMS believes it is important to expedite the incorporation, by reference, of the 21^st edition of API RP 2A-WSD ahead of the other standards. A separate final rule will be published to amend Subpart I and to incorporate by reference the other eight industry standards. 

       MMS is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf in federal offshore waters.  The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from federal and American Indian leases.  These revenues totaled over $6 billion in 2002 and nearly $127 billion since the agency was created in 1982.  Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and federal park and recreation lands.

-MMS-

MMS Internet website address: http://www.mms.gov