Social Science in MMS
The MMS major legal mandates are the
OCSLA and NEPA. An objective of both laws is to provide the
information needed for balanced decisionmaking. Both direct MMS to study the human
environment, and both include guidance on Bureau social and economic information needs.
The ESP social science research provides information essential to understanding the
consequences of OCS-related activities on the populations, economies, and social and
cultural systems in areas where the activities occur, it supports MMS planning and
management processes, and provides information for effective interaction with the public
about such effects.
Social and economic effects can occur at all stages of OCS development, from prior to a
lease sale, through exploration, development and production, to decommissioning and the
cessation of activities. Therefore, MMS designs studies to address the data and analytical
needs arising from these specific phases in order to aid in the decisionmaking process.
The possible social and economic effects of the program are among those of greatest
concern to the public and to Federal, state and local government officials. Analysis of
these dimensions can provide a better understanding of how future long-term impacts will
affect communities and ways of life and will allow for predictions of these impacts. In
addition, this information allows the decisionmaker to discuss the likely impacts of
development in terms (e.g. jobs, income, public services, subsistence resources, etc.)
familiar to the public, thereby allowing the public to examine the project in terms
relevant to their own communities and lives.
