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DOCUMENT RESUME
06231 - (B1606648]
Lower Cook Inlet: Another Example of Bore Data Needed for
Appraisinq Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Resources.
END-78-4d; 5-118678. June 8, 1978. 34 pp. + 5 appendices (11
pp.).
Report to the Congress; by Elmer B. Staatse Comptroller General.
Issue Area: fnerqy: Role of Fossil Fuels in Moeting future Needs
(1609).
Contact: Enerqy and Minerals Div.
Budget Functio. I 'tural Resources, Environment, and Energy:
Energy (305).
Organization Concerned: Department of the interior; Department
of Enerqy; Geological Survey; Bureou of Land management.
Conqressional Relevance: House Select Coaittee on Cater
continental Shelf; Senate committee an fnergy and Natural
Resources; Congress.
Authority: Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953 (43 U.S.C.
1331). Department of Energy Organivaticu Act of 1977 (42
U.S.C. 7101). S. 9 (95th Coag.). H.R. 1614 t95*,h Cong.).
The Nation greatly 'elies on the Cuter Continental
Shelf (OCS) leasing program for meeting near-ter domestic
energy needs, particularly uhile uev energy technologies and
conservation actions are being developed. Decisions regarding
where to lease and at what rate have a signiticant impact on the
future production of OCS resources. The Department of the
Interior's October 1977 sale of 135 oil and gas tracts on the
OcS off the southern Alaskan coast, commcnly knon as the Lower
Cook Inlet Sale CI, was reviewed and ccmpared with previous
sales of 1975 and 1976. Findings/Conclusions: Analysis of the
data availablo for tract selection in Sale CI provides little
assurance that the best tracts were selected for leasing.
Industry nominations continue to be the predrininant factor
influencinq the Department's tract selecticn. such of the area
considered for lease was inadequately examined, and tracts Yere
included in the sale despite their apparent lo promise of
resources. The present program leases land on the kasi3 of
minimal geologic information, and the Department of the Interior
has not made significant efforts to ottain additional geologic
knowledge through stratigraphic drilling. Although the oil
industry paid a siqnificant amount of capital for leasing rights
to Sale CI tracts, there is no assurance that energy rescurces
will be found or that fair naket value was achieved.
Recommendations: The Secretary of the Interior should diect a
geological expiration program with a systematic plan for
appraisinq OCS oil and qas resources which would identify the
level of stratiqraphic drilling necessary to provide a minimal
level of data. The Secretary should then encourage private
industry to explore areas identified in the plan and share with
the Department the information develcped. If any data are still](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobaaxkm0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)