Geology topics

Frederick N. Kurz

Publications and source records attributed to Frederick N. Kurz.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1982

South Atlantic summary report 2: A revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the South Atlantic (U.S.) and their onshore impacts, a summary report, July 1980

The search for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the South Atlantic Region began in 1960, when geophysical surveys of the area were initiated. In 1977, a Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test (COST) well was drilled in the Southeast Georgia Embayment. In March 1978, the first lease sale, Sale 43, was held, resulting in the leasing of 43 tracts. Approximately a year later, in May 1979, the first exploratory drilling began, and by February 1980, six exploratory wells had been drilled by four companies. Hydrocarbons were not found in any of these wells. Lease Sale 56, the second lease sale in the South Atlantic Region, was held in August 1981. The sale resulted in the leasing of 47 tracts. Most of the leased tracts are in deep water along the Continental Slope off North Carolina. To date, no drilling has occurred on these tracts, but it is likely that two wells will be drilled or will be in the process of being drilled by the end of 1982. Reoffering Sale RS-2 is scheduled for July 1982, and it will include tracts offered in Lease Sale 56 that were not awarded leases. Lease Sale 78 is scheduled to be held in July 1983. The most recent (March 1982) estimates of risked resources for leased lands in the South Atlantic OCS are 27 million barrels of oil and 120 billion cubic feet of gas. To date, onshore impacts resulting from OCS exploration have been minimal, and they were associated with Lease Sale 43 exploratory activities. Tenneco, using existing facilities, established a support base in Savannah, Georgia; Getty, Transco, and Exxon used a support base established for them by the city of Brunswick, Georgia. The port at Morehead City, North Carolina, is expected to provide the onshore facilities for exploration in the near future on Lease Sale 56 tracts. Arrangements for the use of these facilities are currently being negotiated. In June 1981, the South Atlantic Regional Technical Working Group prepared a Regional Transportation Management Plan for the South Atlantic OCS. The plan is principally an integration of regulatory frameworks, policies, and plans that are applicable to pipeline siting from each of the South Atlantic coastal States and Federal agencies with jurisdiction in the area.

Outer Continental Shelf, South Atlantic↗

USGS1982

Gulf of Alaska and Lower Cook Inlet summary report 3: Second revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Alaska (including Lower Cook Inlet) and their onshore impacts: A summary report, September 1980

Five Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease sales have been held in the Gulf of Alaska subregion of Alaska. Lease Sale 39, in the northern Gulf of Alaska, was held on April 13, 1976, and it resulted in the leasing of 76 tracts. Lease Sale CI, held on October 27, 1977, resulted in the leasing of 87 tracts in Lower Cook Inlet. Lease Sale 55 in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, held on October 21, 1980, leased 35 tracts. The first Reoffering Sale (RS-1), held on June 30, 1981, resulted in the leasing of one tract in the eastern Gulf of Alaska. Lease Sale 60, the most recent sale in the subregion, was held on September 29, 1981. It resulted in the leasing of 13 tracts in the Lower Cook Inlet and the Shelikof Strait. Exploratory drilling has been conducted on tracts leased in Lease Sales 39 and CI. No commercial discoveries were made, and no further exploratory drilling is anticipated on tracts leased in either sale. ARCO has plans to explore a tract leased in Lease Sale 55 in January 1983. Chevron has conducted geohazard studies on tracts leased in Lease Sale 60. The results of these studies will determine if exploratory wells will be drilled. Exploratory drilling, if it does take place, is not anticipated before the summer of 1983. In March 1982, the Department of the Interior prepared new resource estimates for the Gulf of Alaska subregion. The risked mean resource estimates for tracts leased in Lease Sale 55 and Lease Sale RS-1 are 12.1 million barrels of oil and 46.2 billion cubic feet of gas. The risked mean resource estimates for tracts leased in Lease Sale 60 are 5.6 million barrels of oil and 5 billion cubic feet of gas. The onshore impacts from previous OCS exploration in the Gulf of Alaska and the Lower Cook Inlet were minimal. Yakutat will be used to support exploratory drilling on any Lease Sale 55 or Lease Sale RS-1 tracts. If exploratory drilling takes place on Lease Sale 60 tracts, support facilities are expected to be located in Kenai or on Kodiak Island.

Gulf of Alaska, Outer Continental Shelf↗

USGS1982

Gulf of Mexico summary report 3 August 1982: A revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico and their onshore impacts: Gulf of Mexico summary report 2, August 1981

Now, and for the near future, the Gulf of Mexico will remain the most developed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region in the United States and the world. Virtually all production from the U.S. OCS emanates from the Gulf of Mexico. In calendar year 1981, for the two primary categories of hydrocarbons produced from the OCS, oil/condensate and gas, Gulf production accounted for over 94 and 99 percent, respectively. Oil production for 1981 was 0.27 billion barrels, and gas production was 4.84 trillion cubic feet. Although most of the shallow-water areas of the Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelf have been explored, considerable amounts of hydrocarbons may yet be discovered in deepwater locations. Industry has been developing the technology to explore deepwater areas, and interest in these portions of the Gulf is increasing. As of December 1981, the total of all identified oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico OCS increased to 505 from 482 at the end of the previous year; this net increase of 23 fields discovered in 1981 compares to net increases of 50 in 1980, 51 in 1979, and 25 in 1978. The number of active fields increased from 466 in 1981, and fields for which reserve estimates have been made increased from 419 to 445. As of January 1982, 19,736 offshore oil and gas wells had been drilled in the Gulf of Mexico OCS; most of the wells (17,257) are off the coast of Louisiana. Currently, there are 2,027 active oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico; 1,200 of them are producing leases. The Department of the Interior's 5-year OCS oil and gas leasing schedule projects 2 to 3 Gulf of Mexico lease sales per year through 1987, for a total of 12 offerings, and starting in 1983, the Gulf will be divided into three planning areas. Resource estimates issued for the following Gulf of Mexico lease sales are as follows: Lease Sale 67--75.16 million barrels of oil and 1.03 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 69--48.24 million barrels of oil and .785 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 72--97 million barrels of oil and 1.04 trillion cubic feet of gas; Lease Sale 74--29 million barrels of oil and .525 trillion cubic feet of gas; and Lease Sale 79--123 million barrels of oil and .157 trillion cubic feet of gas. Since 1972, oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has declined each year, and gas production, thought to have reached its peak in 1981, is also expected to begin a noticeable decline. To date, most of the oil and gas discovered in the Gulf has occurred on the Texas-Louisiana Shelf, but in the future, oil and gas exploration is likely to include a number of areas where previous leasing has not been extensive. The West Florida Shelf, especially the area off the coast of southwest Florida and the deepwater areas southeast of the Mississippi River Delta, are potential areas for future exploration. As production begins to decline from mature fields, smaller fields will become economically producible, and implementation of secondary and tertiary recovery techniques will make it possible to extract more oil and gas from reservoirs than was possible previously. Each year, hundreds of miles of pipelines are added to the existing network in the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, there have been a number of proposals for deepwater ports and transshipment terminals as well as projects including the deepening or widening of existing conventional ports. The process of transportation planning in the Gulf of Mexico is done by industry and government through the Intergovernmental Planning Program and its Regional Technical Working Group. The Gulf Coast region is an area of significant onshore oil and gas activity, with many cities and towns offering a wide range of services and supplies to onshore and offshore oil operators and their ancillary industries. While the western and central Gulf oil and gas support infrastructure is quite extensive and complex, the support facilities in the eastern Gulf are still in the early stages of development. In the likely event of a decline in Gulf OCS production, imported oil may be substituted for dwindling domestic stocks at Gulf Coast refineries. Planners must consider impacts generated by changes in oil and gas productivity and focus on finding alternative uses for facilities and alternative employment for workers.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗