BLM is continuing its studies in other areas proposed for leasing, 

 to determine the need for baseline physical, biological, chemical, and 

 geological information in each. These studies, supplemented by 

 information resulting from the baseline sampling activities, form the 

 basis for the preparation of draft environmental impact assessments 

 supporting each sale. 



OCS Oil and Gas Assessment 



In addition to collecting information on sea-floor stability and 

 other conditions that contribute to the baseline environmental 

 studies, USGS has accelerated efforts to acquire knowledge that 

 may be used to improve resource estimates in proposed lease areas 

 and for the assessment of tract values. Special emphasis is being 

 placed on acquiring data for public dissemination on deep structures 

 and sediment layers that may indicate the existence of oil and gas 

 reservoirs. To assure that the maximum information is available for 

 making tract selections and presale evaluations, USGS also obtains 

 large amounts of data gathered by and for the oil industry. New 

 regulations prepared during 1974 aim at expediting the acquisition 

 of such industry data. The combination of public and private data 

 provides USGS with better information on which to base resource 

 evaluations than is available to any single company of the oil 

 industry. 



Among the most useful and widely used tools in the search for 

 offshore oil and gas has been deep-penetration (common-depth- 

 point) seismic reflection profiling. Prior to 1974, the only records of 

 this type available to USGS were those obtained from industry. 

 Although used in making tract selections and evaluations, this 

 proprietary information was necessarily withheld from public 

 scrutiny because of the large private investments involved. To 

 overcome limitations on the use of the industry profiles and to 

 acquire additional knowledge of resource potentials, USGS con- 

 tracted for three profiles between Massachusetts and New fersey 

 extending from near shore across the Atlantic Continental Shelf to 

 deep water. Analyses of the information thus obtained were issued 

 during 1974. USGS subsequently contracted for four additional 

 profiles across the Atlantic Continental Shelf and Slope, obtained 

 profiles across the Blake Plateau to the east of Florida and Georgia, 

 and installed a seismic system aboard the USGS research vessel S. P. 

 Lee for use in obtaining profiles of the West coast and Alaska 

 Continental Margins. USGS, as well as industry, is using the bright- 

 spot technique and other forms of computer analyses to get 

 maximum information relating to oil and gas potentials from the 

 millions of data bits produced each hour by the seismic systems. 



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