The MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office conducts all leasing and resource management functions on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for the Gulf of Mexico Region and the Atlantic OCS Area.

The Atlantic OCS Area is divided into four planning areas along the Atlantic seaboard:

• North Atlantic
• Mid-Atlantic
• South Atlantic
• Straits of Florida

Ten oil and gas lease sales were held in the Atlantic during 1976 and 1983.  Forty-seven exploratory wells were drilled.  Only five wells discovered hydrocarbons.  These five wells were offshore New Jersey and were abandoned as non-commercial.  A summary document of the eight wells drilled in the North Atlantic is currently available.  Reports on each of the eight wells drilled in the North Atlantic are available.

Manteo Unit

The Manteo Exploration Unit originally consisted of 21 leases.  On November 17, 2000, the interests in the last remaining 8 natural gas and oil leases active in the Federal waters offshore North Carolina were relinquished by Conoco, Shell Offshore and OYX USA.  There are now no leases in existence off the Atlantic Coast. 

There is also interest in nonenergy OCS resources (sand) for beach renourishment projects. MMS's Marine Minerals Program provides policy direction and guidance for the development of marine mineral resources on the OCS. The Marine Minerals Program is focusing on integrating geologic and environmental information developed through partnerships with coastal states to identify sand deposits in Federal waters suitable for beach nourishment. One such example is a negotiated lease agreement made possible by a new Federal Law (P.L. 103-426); MMS provided the city of Jacksonville, Florida, with access to 1.24 million cubic yards of sand on the OCS. Other States have also entered into cooperative agreements with MMS. For more on this subject, see OCS Sand and Gravel Mining below.

Atlantic OCS Fast Facts and Figures

OCS Sand and Gravel Mining

Manteo North Carolina Chronology Update

Atlantic OCS Area Resource Information

Publications Related to the Atlantic Coast

Atlantic OCS Lease Status Information

Atlantic OCS Drilling Activity

Related Atlantic News Releases

1. Department of the Interior Will Not Conduct Sand and Gravel Lease Sale Offshore New Jersey  (June 28, 2000)