Rice’s Whales Heard in the Western Gulf of Mexico
Evidence of endangered Rice’s whales has been recorded in the western Gulf of Mexico. These findings demonstrate their regular occurrence in waters offshore of Texas and the first evidence of Rice’s whales offshore of Mexico.For the past 25 years, Rice's whales have been consistently observed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. They have been seen along the continental shelf break in waters roughly between 100 and 400 meters deep. In 2017, a single Rice’s whale sighting was confirmed in the western Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas, suggesting that their distribution may
Fairfield Geotechnologies Wins GoM Survey Contract
Fairfield Geotechnologies said it has been awarded a contract by BHP to acquire up to 1,004 sq. miles of ocean bottom node seismic data in the Alaminos Canyon and East Breaks areas of the Western Gulf of Mexico. The survey, located in water depths ranging from 2,500 to 7,250 ft., will employ two seismic source vessels and Fairfield Geotechnologies’ newest ocean bottom node technology, ZXPLR.The survey design will deliver high quality seismic data for imaging, as well as provide the long offset, full azimuth data necessary for high-resolution velocity model building to enhance existing reflection
NOIA Comments Support Offshore Leasing Program
encourage the Secretary of the Interior to proceed with lease sale planning in all 25 planning areas proposed in the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024 (DPP). Specifically, NOIA supports the annual offering of all acreage in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico and the opening of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico as soon as the current moratorium expires, and recommends conducting lease sales early in the plan in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas as well as in the Mid, South, and North Atlantic and Southern California Planning areas. “This is
As US Opens Up Offshore Waters, Eastern GoM Beckons
Department's concerns oil development would interfere with extensive military testing and training exercises in the area. "The eastern Gulf of Mexico could be very attractive to industry because of the proximity to existing infrastructure in the central and western Gulf of Mexico," the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents the offshore oil and gas industry, said in a statement. "Investing in the eastern Gulf could yield results - new jobs, new oil and gas production and increased energy security - quicker than
NOIA: Maximum Access Offshore Leasing Program
leasing, exploration and potential development greatly enhance both. Wise energy policies today will enable the offshore oil and gas industry to make key decisions that will accelerate U.S. economic growth and energy security tomorrow. “With lease sales proposed in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, the Cook Inlet and Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in Alaska, and the Mid- and South Atlantic, an area last made available in the 1980s, the 2017-2022 OCS leasing program holds the potential for increased access to offshore resources and greater economic and energy benefits. Proposed Atlantic
BOEM Awards Leases in Western Gulf of Mexico
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its required evaluation to ensure that the public receives fair market value for tracts leased as part of Western Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 246. The sale was held on August 19, 2015. After extensive economic analysis, BOEM has awarded leases on all 33 tracts receiving bids covering 190,000 acres to successful high bidders who participated in the sale, which made 4,083 unleased blocks covering nearly 22 million acres available offshore Texas. The accepted high bids are valued at $22,675,212. The highest bid accepted was $2,802,003
Record Low Interest in US GoM Leases
A U.S. government sale of oil and gas drilling leases in the western Gulf of Mexico attracted the lowest number of bids on record on Wednesday as slumping oil prices kept producers from plowing money into expensive offshore prospects. The yearly sale, held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), attracted $22.7 million in high bids, the smallest in the western Gulf since 1983 when leases were first broken down into regions, the BOEM said, reaping just one fifth of the value of last year's offers. "The continuing drop in oil prices and low natural gas prices obviously
US to Open Bids for Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale
million acres for development and garnered more than $2.9 billion in bid revenues. The sale, which offers 21.9 million acres for oil and gas exploration and development offshore Texas, is open to the public. Lease Sale 248 offers all unleased and nonprotected areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, including 4,083 tracts from nine to more than 250 miles off the coast, in water depths ranging from 16 to more than 10,975 feet (five to 3,346 meters). When bidding closed today, five companies had submitted 33 bids on 33 tracts for Western Sale 246
Water Monitoring to Continue at Western Gulf Ports
;M University-Corpus Christi. CBI, in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, has received the federal contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue to operate and maintain the water level and ocean monitoring network along the Western Gulf of Mexico. CBI, as a subcontractor, will operate in the Houston/Galveston and Lake Charles, La. areas through the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System. “We are proud to take the lead in maintaining this vital network of scientific instruments,” said Dr. Gary Jeffress, CBI Director
February 2024
