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Environmental Studies Program
Introduction: The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) was initiated in
1973 as a means to gather and synthesize environmental and social and economic science
information to support decision-making concerning the offshore oil and gas program. The
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act established policy for the management of the OCS natural
gas and oil-leasing program and for the protection of marine and coastal environments.
Section 20 of the Act authorizes the ESP and establishes three general goals for the
program:
 | to establish the information needed for assessment and management of environmental
impacts on the human, marine, and coastal environments of the OCS and the potentially
affected coastal areas;
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| to predict impacts on the marine biota which may result from chronic, low level
pollution or large spills associated with OCS production, from drilling fluids and
cuttings discharges, pipeline emplacement, or onshore facilities; and
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| to monitor human, marine, and coastal environments to provide time series and data trend
information for identification of significant changes in the quality and productivity of
these environments, and to identify the causes of these changes. |
This web site provides access to completed and ongoing ESP research activities. The
design is discipline based (e.g., biology, socioeconomics, physical oceanography,
modeling, etc) allowing users to concentrate on a single discipline (either nationally or
by OCS Region) or jump to another with a minimum of links. The system includes links to
the MMS’s Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) which provides
immediate access to all completed MMS ESP studies. ESPIS is a searchable, web based, full
text retrieval system allowing users to view on line, or download, the complete text of
any completed MMS ESP report.
For information pertaining to operational safety, pollution prevention, oil spill
response, and cleanup capabilities, visit our Technology
Assessment and Research (TA&R) Program. The TA&R Program is a research element
encompassed by the MMS Regulatory Program. It was established in the 1970's to ensure that
industry operations on the Outer Continental Shelf incorporated the use of the Best
Available and Safest Technologies (BAST) subsequently required through the 1978
OCSLA
amendments.
Environmental Studies Program
Regional Environmental Studies Programs
Annual Studies Plans
For more information, contact James Cimato.
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