1.0 INTRODUCTION 



This report covers past, present and future activities related to Outer 

 Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development, onshore impacts and environ- 

 mental effects for the Mid Atlantic Region and South Atlantic Region. 



The main objective of the report is to describe awareness of the 

 ecological systems of the two regions and the potential effects of OCS 

 activity on them. For this purpose, effects of past oil and gas operations, 

 as well as possible future effects on coastal living resources, are reviewed. 

 In order to predict possible effects on the environment, a generalized 

 picture of the ecological systems of the nearshore and onshore regions of 

 the Mid Atlantic and South Atlantic is included in Section 5. 



Sections 2 and 3 analyze past and present OCS oil and gas activities 

 in detail, including exploration, lease sales, development, planning for the 

 eventuality of oil/gas finds and possible impacts. Section 4 deals with the 

 future potential of OCS development. Sections 5 and 6 describe likely 

 biological, physical and socio economic impacts which may occur if oil is 

 found in marketable quantities. 



Physically, the Mid Atlantic Region, for this report, is taken as that 

 coastal area between New York City and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 

 Geologically, the area of prime oil and gas potential on the OCS of this 

 region is concentrated in the Baltimore Canyon Trough, about 40 to 90 miles 



offshore from New Jersey and Delaware. Historically, the coastline of 

 this area has experienced petroleum industry activity including refining, 



