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MMS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM: ONGOING STUDIES |
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MMS OCS Region: |
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Title: |
Environmental Justice:
A Comparative Perspective in |
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Planning Area: |
Central |
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Total Cost: $46,300 |
Period of Performance: FY 2003 - 2007 |
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Conducting Organization: |
Coastal Marine Institute, |
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MMS Contact: |
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Description: Background: The Minerals Management Service (MMS), like all other federal agencies, must identify any disproportionate impacts of its activities on minority or low-income populations. Similar to Environmental Impact Statements that seek to identify adverse environmental impacts, federal agencies must, in response to Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629), gauge the potential impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) exploration, extraction, and transport activities on vulnerable populations. |
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Objectives: This project seeks to employ a geographic perspective to compare the relative degree of environmental justice impacts found in different sectors of the oil extraction and processing industry. In particular, it will build upon the methods developed in previous MMS research in this area to investigate environmental justice concerns associated with OCS oil and gas extraction. |
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Methods: This study will use identical GIS-based techniques developed in an analysis of Lafourche Parish for Jefferson and St. Barnard parish. The study will map zones of vulnerability (e.g., areas with low-income or minority populations proximate to existing environmental and human health impacts; areas of overlap between natural resource use areas and potential environmental impacts) using maps of local populations, oil production and refining activities, and local natural resource use. |
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Products: Annotated bibliography, final report, maps. |
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Importance to MMS: This project has refined and applied a methodology that the GOMR has used in an earlier Environmental Justice analyses. |
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Current Status: This is a field test of an earlier research effort funded by MMS. The final study report was delivered to MMS weeks before hurricane Katrina. Disruptions in staffing have led to a long delay in issuing the final report. At this time the original research team is preparing the report for publication which is expected in September 2009. |
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Final Report Due: |
December 2005 |
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Publications: |
None |
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Affiliated WWW Sites: |
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Revised date: |
April 2009 |
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ESPIS |
ESPIS
- All completed ESP Studies: |
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