The USACE’s Galveston District has partnered with the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM), Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (GoM OCS) Region, Texas General Land Office (TGLO), and the Offshore Operators Committee (OOC), to conduct a GoM sediment resource-offshore infrastructure two-day partnering workshop on November 29 and 30, 2018.
The intent was for synchronizing the needs of planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining coastal storm risk management projects, coastal ecosystem restoration projects, and offshore oil and gas infrastructure projects, across the GoM from the long term planning perspective.
Science, data requirements, workflows and tools were identified for development and integration among the partnering agencies in synch with the needs of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study, anticipating these long lead item needs for use in the Pre-construction, Engineering, and Design (PED) phase, after production of a Chief’s Report during Fiscal Year 21.
This information will be pivotal to engineering, economic, and environmental analyses of coastal dune features that have potential to be part of a coastal barrier plan, said USACE.
Barry Obiol, Deputy Director of BOEM’s GoM OCS Region, indicated that the purpose of the workshop is an agency priority, considering the growing needs for identifying offshore sand sources for coastal projects, while facilitating the needs of the offshore oil and gas industry in developing and managing infrastructure in the GoM.
Ray Newby, Coastal Geologist with TGLO’s Coastal Resources Program, expressed appreciation for this event being organized to proactively derive consistency between State and Federal agencies, with TGLO having responsibilities for managing coastal resources and offshore infrastructure management in Texas.
The TGLO is the non-Federal sponsor for the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study.
Edmond Russo, deputy district engineer for Programs and Project Management, at USACE Galveston District , worked with the District team and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center to establish work flows, identify data requirements, and propose tools for enabling the follow through for synchronizing industry with agencies into the future.
“We want to set the pace here in Texas on America’s Energy Coast for ensuring an abundant supply of offshore GoM sand to build and maintain coastal projects that deliver Value to the Nation, in balance with meeting the needs of the offshore industry to develop and produce oil and gas, ” concluded Russo.