scholarly journals Fishes and invertebrates of oil and gas platforms off California: an introduction and summary

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton S Love
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Current Operator ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Introductory Paper ◽  
Removal Weight ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Bottom Depth ◽  
Offshore Oil

This paper serves as an introduction to a symposium on the role that California oil and gas platforms serve as habitats for fishes and invertebrates. As of 2019, there are 27 platforms in state and federal waters off California, and the decommissioning of some of these platforms is imminent. Thus, consideration of whether to completely remove a platform or cut it off at some depth below the sea surface and retain the submerged portion as a reef is a decision that will occur in the near future. The objectives of the 10 papers in this dedicated issue of the Bulletin of Marine Science are to: (1) increase scientific understanding of the inter- and intrarelationships of fish and invertebrate populations at offshore oil and gas platforms and natural reefs within the Southern California Bight; (2) determine the extent of influence of platform assemblages on southern California and the Pacific coast populations of fishes and invertebrates; and (3) synthesize relevant reports, existing peer-reviewed literature, and new data analyses into a single peer-reviewed reference. This introductory paper contains a synopsis of all extant California platforms including information on: (1) the original operator, (2) the current operator of records, (3) the date the platform was installed, (4) the first production date, (5) the platform's distance from shore [including whether it is state or outer continental shelf (OCS) waters], (6) the bottom depth of the platform, (7) the number of well slots, (8) the number of conductors, (9) what the platform produces (oil and/or gas), (10) the platform jacket dimensions [generally at the seafloor (bottom)], (11) the platform's footprint, (12) the midwater surface area, (13) the total removal weight, (14) the platform location, (15) the shell mound size, (16) the shell mound volume, (17) the shell mound height, (18) the center of the shell mound location, and (19) the bottom slope. In addition, we present an overview of all previous research on the biology and ecology of California platform organisms.

Statistical Analyses of Solo and Joint Bids for Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leases

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (02) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmer L. Dougherty ◽  
John Lohrenz
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
British Petroleum ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
The Government ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

Abstract This study of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) bid data, plus a critical analysis of other such studies, was made to determine the impact of joint bidding on competitiveness of OCS lease sales, It concludes that no class of joint bids has been shown to reduce the level of competition. Banning joint bidding by two or more major oil companies did result in an abrupt increase in the number of pint bids that included one major. Introduction Sealed, competitive bids for U.S. offshore oil and gas leases are classed as either solo or joint bids. Solo bids are submitted by one bidder with 100-percent ownership. Joint bids are submitted by several bidders who divide ownership among themselves. The pragmatic question that triggered this study was, "Is there a kind of solo or joint bid whose occurrence tends to decrease the number of sealed, competitive bids?" Such a bid would lower the level of competition. This study reports the results of a statistical analysis to measure the impact of joint bidding on the level of competition in sales of U.S. oil and gas leases. The study first presumed that the level of competition increases as the number of competing bids increases. This presumption while not unassailable, also was not unreasonable. Three previous studies of solo and joint bidding were reviewed first, revealing that conclusions drawn by two of the studies are statistically unsupported. Our study of the pragmatic question found no consistent correlation supporting a positive answer to the question. The U.S. policy regulation proscribing joint bids involving two or more majors tended to broaden the proportion and number of bids involving majors. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES OF FEDERAL OFFSHORE SOLO AND JOINT BIDS Joint bidding for U.S. offshore oil and gas leases has been seated in previous studies of which three will be reviewed in detail. GASKINS AND VANN Gaskins and Vann computed values of the ratio of the sum of the highest bids to the sum of the U.S. presale estimates, Fmax/est, for leases that presale estimates, Fmax/est, for leases that received the same number(s) of bids. Precise definition of Fmax/est is given in the Nomenclature. Gaskins and Vann observed that values of F increased with n, from which they concluded the "government gets a larger percentage of its estimated value when there are more bidders." For the March 28, 1974, sale, Gaskins and Vann calculated Fmax/est for four different categories of highest bids:all bids,bids in which only nonmajors were involved,bids in which one or more majors were involved, andbids in which Mobil Oil Corp. was a participant. (No list was given of which bidders are classed as major.) Values of Fmax/est when majors and/or Mobil were involved in the highest bid were more often lower than for the other categories of highest bids. From this, Gaskins and Vann concluded that the "data support the hypothesis that major oil companies, and Mobil in particular, were able to attain lower winning bids..." We recalculated values of F,../est for the March 28, 1974, sale. These are shown in Table 12 along with comparable values of Fm../mean and Fmean/est. The agreement between values of Fmax/est presented by Gaskins and Vann and in Table 1 is excellent in most cases. Some of the differences, however, may be explained by differing definitions of majors. We considered these eight companies as major: Amoco International Oil Co., British Petroleum Ltd., Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Exxon Corp., Gulf Oil Corp., Mobil Oil Corp., Shell Oil Co., Texaco Inc. Other differences may be caused by disagreements in source data and/or computations.

scholarly journals Regional patterns in shallow water invertebrate assemblages on offshore oil and gas platforms along the Pacific continental shelf

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-638
Author(s):  
Henry M Page ◽  
Susan F Zaleski ◽  
Robert J Miller ◽  
Jenifer E Dugan ◽  
Donna M Schroeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Geographical Patterns ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Local Patterns ◽  
Invertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

We explored biogeographical and local patterns in the composition of shallow water (≤18 m depth) invertebrate assemblages inhabiting California offshore oil and gas platforms using multivariate analysis of diver- conducted photographic data collected from 23 platforms in 2013–2014. We evaluated the potential importance of sea surface temperature (SST) and other physical and biological factors in driving observed patterns in these assemblages. Prior to this analysis, platforms were grouped into four regions based on local differences in annual mean SST. The composition of invertebrate assemblages varied significantly among the four regions, reflecting differences in the relative abundances of certain anemone, bryozoan, sponge, and bivalve taxa. However, invertebrate assemblages varied idiosyncratically among platforms within a region. Variation in platform assemblages was associated with SST across regions; however, assemblages of platforms in the southeast Santa Barbara Channel were distinct due to the high cover of a non-native bryozoan, Watersipora subatra (Ortmann, 1890). The existence of geographical patterns in the composition of platform invertebrate assemblages and the colonization of one platform by a native bryozoan with southern affinities during elevated SST of 2014–2015 suggest that these assemblages may be useful over broad spatial scales as barometers of short- and longer-term changes in ocean climate. However, over smaller spatial scales, the idiosyncratic differences in invertebrate assemblages among platforms within regions indicates that these assemblages would have to be considered on a platform-by-platform basis under various decommissioning scenarios.

scholarly journals Decommissioning impacts on biotic assemblages associated with shell mounds beneath southern California offshore oil and gas platforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L Meyer-Gutbrod ◽  
Milton S Love ◽  
Jeremy T Claisse ◽  
Henry M Page ◽  
Donna M Schroeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Shell Mounds ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

The decommissioning of southern California offshore oil and gas platforms will create major economic, engineering, and environmental challenges in the next decade. Platform jackets, conductors, and shell mounds often host a diverse and productive marine community, and among the myriad considerations associated with decommissioning planning, platform operators and federal and state regulatory agencies will consider the ecological value of existing underwater structures as artificial reefs. In the event of partial removal of platform structure, fish assemblages on decommissioned platforms may remain unchanged in areas where structure is left intact. However, on the seafloor beneath the platforms, a mound of debris often called the shell mound will likely change over time if the supply of falling mussels and other organisms from the productive surface part of the structure is removed. In this study, we review shell mound research relevant to decommissioning, including mound formation, contaminant loads, associated biological communities, and transitions following the removal of platform structures at four sites. To address the gap in knowledge of shell mound fish community structure, we used manned submersible and remotely operated vehicle surveys from 1997 to 2013 to estimate the biomass, density, species composition and similarity between shell mounds at 22 southern California platforms. We found a wide range of variability in fish density and shell mound areal extent. Species composition also varied among sites, with three significant community clusters primarily distinguished by species depth preferences. These results will help inform a comprehensive net environmental benefit analysis of southern California offshore platform decommissioning alternatives.

scholarly journals Progress of the Oil Spill Risk Analysis (OSRA) Model and Its Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Zhen-Gang Ji ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Walter Johnson ◽  
Guillermo Auad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Environmental Resources ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is responsible for managing the development of US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy and mineral resources. Because oil spills may occur from offshore oil and gas activities, BOEM conducts oil spill risk analysis (OSRA) prior to oil and gas lease sales. Since the 1970s, BOEM has developed and applied the OSRA model to evaluate the risk of potential oil spills to environmental resources. This paper summarizes some of the OSRA model progress and applications in the past decade: (1) calculation of the risk of catastrophic oil spills (with a volume over one million barrels), which concludes that the return period of a catastrophic oil spill in OCS areas is estimated to be 165 years; (2) a more efficient way to estimate the probability of oil spill contact to environmental resources in the Gulf of Mexico; (3) weathering calculations in OSRA, which enhances the accuracy of the OSRA model results; and (4) application of OSRA to the Ixtoc I oil spill as an example of how the OSRA model simulates large oil spills for oil spill preparedness and response.

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