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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program

III. Social and Economic Studies

Socioeconomics Panel

Committee to Review the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1992

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Contract No. 14-12-001-30342.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 89-63847

International Standard Book Number 0-309-04835-4

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press 
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW  Washington, DC 20418

B-047

Cover photo: Grant Heilman/Grant Heilman Photography

Copyright 1992 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

Socioeconomics Panel

GARRY D. BREWER (Chairman),

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

CAMILLA AUGER,

Auger Associates, Inc., Washington, DC

GARDNER BROWN,

University of Washington, Seattle

BILIANA CICIN-SAIN,

University of Delaware, Newark

RALPH FAUST,

California Coastal Commission, San Francisco

ROBERT B. GRAMLING,

University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette

RALPH W. JOHNSON,

University of Washington, Seattle

JAMES OPALUCH,

University of Rhode Island, Kingston

ROY A. RAPPAPORT,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

CHARLES P. WOLF,

Social Impact Assessment Center, New York, NY

Parent Committee Liaison Members

CHARLES EDDY,

Los Angeles, CA

GUY R. MARTIN,

Perkins Coie, Washington, DC

Project Director

DAVID POLICANSKY

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

Committee to Review the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program

JOHN W. FARRINGTON (Chairman),

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole

VERA ALEXANDER,

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

GARRY D. BREWER,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

JUDITH MCDOWELL CAPUZZO,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole

CHARLES EDDY,

Los Angeles

EDWARD D. GOLDBERG,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla

CHARLES BRUCE KOONS,

Exxon Production Research Company (retired), Houston

GUY R. MARTIN,

Perkins Coie, Washington, DC

ARTHUR MAXWELL,

University of Texas, Austin

GUY R. MARTIN,

Perkins Coie, Washington, DC

JAMES J. O'BRIEN*,

Florida State University, Tallahassee

MAURICE RATTRAY, JR.,

University of Washington, Seattle

HOWARD A. SLACK,

Port Ludlow, WA

JOHN J. WALSH,

University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

Project Staff

DAVID POLICANSKY, Project Director

KATE KELLY, Editor

SYLVIA TOGNETTI, Research Associate (through July 1992)

ANNE SPRAGUE, Information Specialist

HOLLY WELLS, Senior Project Assistant

Sponsor

U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service

*  

Served through March 17, 1992.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

PAUL G. RISSER (Chair),

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

FREDERICK R. ANDERSON,

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Washington, D.C.

JOHN C. BAILAR, III,

McGill University School of Medicine, Montreal

GARRY D. BREWER,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

JOHN CAIRNS, JR.,

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

EDWIN H. CLARK,

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware, Dover

JOHN L. EMMERSON,

Lilly Research Laboratories, Greenfield, IN

ROBERT C. FORNEY,

Unionville, PA

ALFRED G. KNUDSON,

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia

KAI N. LEE,

Williams College, Williamstown, MA

GENE E. LIKENS,

The New York Botanical Garden, Millbrook

JANE LUBCHENCO,

Oregon State University, Corvallis

DONALD R. MATTISON,

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh

HAROLD A. MOONEY,

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

GORDON ORIANS,

University of Washington, Seattle

FRANK PARKER,

Vanderbilt University, Nashville

GEOFFREY PLACE,

Hilton Head, SC

MARGARET M. SEMINARIO,

AFL/CIO, Washington, D.C.

I. GLENN SIPES,

University of Arizona, Tucson

BAILUS WALKER, JR.,

University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City

WALTER J. WEBER, JR.,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Staff

JAMES J. REISA, Director

DAVID J. POLICANSKY, Associate Director and Program Director for Natural Resources and Applied Ecology

RICHARD D. THOMAS, Associate Director and Program Director for Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment

LEE R. PAULSON, Program Director for Information Systems and Statistics

RAYMOND A. WASSEL, Program Director for Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources*

M. GORDON WOLMAN (Chair),

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

PATRICK R. ATKINS,

Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh

PETER S. EAGLESON,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

EDWARD A. FRIEMAN,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla

HELEN INGRAM,

University of Arizona, Tucson

W. BARCLAY KAMB,

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

GENE E. LIKENS,

New York Botanical Gardens, Millbrook

SYUKURO MANABE,

Geophysics Fluid Dynamics Lab, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Princeton

JACK E. OLIVER,

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

FRANK L. PARKER,

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, and Clemson University, Anderson, SC

DUNCAN T. PATTEN,

Arizona State University, Tempe

RAYMOND A. PRICE,

Queen's University at Kingston, Canada

MAXINE L. SAVITZ,

Garrett Ceramic Components, Torrance, CA

LARRY L. SMARR,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

STEVEN M. STANLEY,

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

WARREN WASHINGTON,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder

EDITH BROWN WEISS,

Georgetown University Law Center

IRVIN L. WHITE,

Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Washington, DC

Staff

STEPHEN RATTIEN, Executive Director

STEPHEN D. PARKER, Associate Executive Director

JANICE E. MEHLER, Assistant Executive Director (through September 1992)

JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative Officer

CARLITA PERRY, Administrative Assistant

ROBIN L. LEWIS, Senior Project Assistant

*  

This study originally was undertaken under the auspices of the Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources (see Appendix A).

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

Preface

The review leading to this report was initiated in May 1986 by the National Research Council (NRC) at the request of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Under the auspices of the NRC Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, the Committee to Review the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program was formed to carry out the overall assignment. Three panels were established, one of which, the Socioeconomics Panel, investigated a full spectrum of social and economic aspects of the Environmental Studies Program (ESP). This report is the third of the three panel reports; the first two dealt with physical oceanographic and ecological aspects of the same Department of the Interior program. Companion reports by this committee dealt with leasing areas offshore of Florida, California, and New England.

A great deal has happened since 1986 when the OCS committee began its work. The Exxon Valdez ran aground and deposited some 240,000 barrels of Alaska crude in Prince William Sound. The Soviet Union collapsed. Iraq invaded Kuwait, and the United States and United Nations joined in Operation Desert Storm. Closer to home, President George Bush in June 1990 considered the evidence, including a report from this committee, and decided not to explore several offshore areas: parts of Florida, California, and Georges Bank all were placed off limits until the year 2000.

The Minerals Management Service has changed, too. Three directors have led MMS since our work began. The head of the ESP, Don Aurand, who originally sought the help of the NRC, also left for other challenges.

This report and all related efforts by the OCS Committee have been arduous. The Socioeconomics Panel found its task particularly difficult, largely because there was so small a base of relevant socioeconomics information to build on and because social and economic factors vary so much from one place to another and can change so quickly. These difficulties led the panel to recognize that one could not simply apply experiences gained from other studies of OCS impacts or even studies of other kinds of projects to any particular OCS region. Instead, the only useful course it could recommend was to use previous experiences to guide the development of a process for obtaining the needed information; the report outlines such a process in some detail. We recognize that this might be a disappointment to MMS, especially given the detailed recommendations provided by the Physical Oceanography and Ecology Panels. However, there does not appear to be a satisfactory alternative, despite the panel's prolonged and earnest efforts to find one. A credible, policy-relevant socioeconomics studies program cannot be built overnight from ready-made parts.

The difficulty of this report and of the other efforts of the OCS Committee is quite in keeping with the complexity, difficulty, and importance of the Offshore Oil and Gas Program for the United States. In its more than 20-year history, the ESP alone has expended more than $500 million to study the environmental, including socioeconomic, aspects of lease sales in OCS. This report concentrates

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×

on the adequacy and applicability of the ESP's socioeconomic studies in meeting program goals during this period. It concludes with several recommendations the panel believes would improve performance in the socioeconomic realm and in the ESP.

During the course of its study, the panel visited coastal Louisiana; northern and southern California; and Anchorage, Dillingham, Aleknagik, Togiak, Cordova, and Valdez, Alaska. In those places, we received numerous briefings and had numerous discussions with many people, including private individuals; members of village, town, borough, and county governments; representatives of various commercial enterprises, including fishing, fish-processing, agriculture, and tourism; the oil industry, environmental organizations, and others; and federal and state agencies, including MMS. Others provided published documents and written information. We are enormously grateful to those who gave of their time and expertise; they taught the panel a great deal.

Naming all the people who helped the panel complete its task would be quite impossible, for they number in the hundreds. However, we would be remiss not to single out the extraordinary diligence, patience, and tact of David Policansky, the NRC staff program officer in charge of the OCS committee's work. He, and his immediate staff, Sylvia Tognetti and Holly Wells, have never wavered in the long road they and we of the Socioeconomics Panel have walked together.

We also wish to acknowledge the cooperation and helpfulness of MMS officials, the constructive comments of numerous anonymous reviewers, the technical assistance of those on the NRC's editorial staff, and the overall guidance of James Reisa, the director of the NRC Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology.

Garry D. Brewer

Chairman, Socioeconomics Panel

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program: III. Social and Economic Studies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/2062.
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This is the third of four volumes from the Committee to Review the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Environmental Studies Program (ESP). The first two dealt with physical, oceanographic, and ecological aspects of the program.

This book presents the findings of the panel's investigation of the social and economic relevance of OCS oil and gas activities and the social and economic aspects of the ESP.

It describes the potential effects of OCS activities on the human environment, presents an ideal socioeconomic studies program, and comments on the current program in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and Alaska regions.

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