Outer Continental Shelf

As shown in Table 8, U.S. distribution of oil and natural gas reserves is centered in Alaska, Cahfomia, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and the U.S. outer-continental shelf. Alaska reserves include both the Pmdhoe Bay deposits and the Cook Inlet fields. Cahfomia deposits include those in Santa Barbara, the Wilmington Eield, the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 at Bakersfield, and other offshore oil deposits. The Yates Pield, Austin Chalk formation, and Permian Basin are among the producing sources of petroleum and natural gas in Texas. 

M. J. Cmickshank and co-workers. Marine Mining on the Outer Continental Shelf, Report 87-0035, U.S. Dept, of the Intedor, Washington, D.C. 1987. 

Perkins, D. M. et al., 1980, Probabilistic Estimates of Maximum Seismic Horizontal Ground Motion on Rock in The Pacific Northwest and the Adjacent Outer Continental Shelf, U.S. Geological Survey No.80-471. 

Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program, Volumes I-IV (1991-1993)... 

Horowitz, A. and B J. Presley. 1977. Trace metal concentrations and partitioning in zooplankton, neuston, and benthos from the south Texas Outer Continental Shelf. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 5 241-255. 

American Petroleum Institute (API), RP 75. Recommended Practices for Development of a Safety and Environmental Management Program for Outer Continental Shelf (PCS) Operations and Facilities. API, Washington, D.C., 1993. 

Minerals Management Service (MMS), Accidents Associated with Oil and Gas Operations. Outer Continental Shelf 1956 - 1990. US. Department of the Interior, Herndon, VA, 1992. 

It is also interesting that in 1970 Chevron pleaded "no contest" to charges of "knowingly and willfully" failing to install safety devices on 90 oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Three other oil companies were similarly charged with the same offense (Shell, Conoco and Humble). At the time Chevron was fined 1 million U S. dollars for 500 violations under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The violations involved failure to install safety chokes at the wells - i.e., a method to cut off the flow of oil automatically in the event of incident. 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS OF KEY ISSUES. (1976) (Sponsor Ford Foundation)... 

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) 1953 Authorizes Secretary of the Interior to grant mineral leases and to regulate oil and gas activities on outer continental shelf lands by maintaining an oil and gas leasing program... 

Transportation in offshore pipelines located upstream from the outlet flange of each facility on the Outer Continental Shelf where hydrocarbons are produced or where produced hydrocarbons are first separated, dehydrated, or processed (whichever facility is farther downstream) ... 

Trace metals are introduced to the ocean by atmospheric feUout, river runoff, and hydrothermal activity. The latter two are sources of soluble metals, which are primarily reduced species. Upon introduction into seawater, these metals react with O2 and are converted to insoluble oxides. Some of these precipitates settle to the seafloor to become part of the sediments others adsorb onto surfaces of sinking and sedimentary particles to form crusts, nodules, and thin coatings. Since reaction rates are slow, the metals can be transported considerable distances before becoming part of the sediments. In the case of the metals carried into the ocean by river runoff, a significant fraction is deposited on the outer continental shelf and slope. Hydrothermal emissions constitute most of the somce of the metals in the hydrogenous precipitates that form in the open ocean. 

Marshall, J.F. (1983) Geochemistry of iron-rich sediments on the outer continental shelf of northern New South Wales. Marine Geol. 51 163-175... 

Eihpek L. H. and Owen R. M. (1981) Diagenetic controls on phosphorus in outer continental shelf sediments from the Gulf of Mexico. Chem. Geol. 33, 181—204. 

Brower, Jr., w. A. 6earby, H. W. Wise, J. L. Diaz, H. F. Prechtel, A. S. "Climatic Atlas of the Outer Continental Shelf Waters and Coastal Regions of Alaska, Vol. II, Bering Sea" Univ. Alaska, Anchorage, AK,... 

Scholle, P.A., 1979. Geological studies of the COST GE-I Well, United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf area. U.S. Geol. Surv., Circ. 800, 114 pp. 

Apart from the Middle East, where reserves are still easily accessible, most new petroleum or natural gas production facilities (e.g., U.S. outer continental shelf, North Sea, Alaska) require anywhere from 5 billion to upwards of 10 billion for each Quad per year of equivalent fuel energy provided (1 Quad per year =... 

The largest scale program that I am aware of for measuring hydrocarbons in environmental samples is the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Outer Continental Shelf Environmental... 

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