Marine Minerals Activities

 

BOEM provides financial assistance to qualified partners to identify and evaluate OCS sediment for potential use in coastal restoration and beach nourishment projects or programs and to foster capacity building and working relationships with coastal States to address coastal erosion, coastal resilience, and climate adaption. BOEM funds activities such as conducting state-based needs assessments; geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS; analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate sediment resources or benthic habitat; development of regional stratigraphic interpretations or models; modeling to describe or understand geologic processes that affect sediment resources; feasibility and related technological or operations studies; and cultural resources or shallow hazards identification. BOEM also provides financial assistance to qualified partners to assist in the identification and assessment of other potential OCS mineral resources such as critical minerals (as defined by Executive Order 13817 A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals). BOEM funds activities such as geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS, as well as analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate marine minerals.

Active 15.424 The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2018 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2019 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2020 Fiscal Year 2018 – Awarded funds to three cooperative agreements with; Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, the University of Texas Institute of Geophysics and the University of Southern Mississippi. Fiscal Year 2018: Cooperative agreements were awarded to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to develop a feasibility study that will examine alternative methodologies for the recovery of economically valuable minerals from marine sand deposits. The University of Texas Institute of Geophysics providing research on resources inventory providing development and application of Geophysical Processing Workflows for Sand Resource Evaluation, research will be conducted on the OCS off the coast of Texas. The University of Southern Mississippi study combining new and existing geological and geophysical OCS data for a multi-state region, to develop assessments of sand and gravel resources to be made available for protection of communities and critical infrastructure from future coastal storms. Fiscal Year 2019 – Awarded funds to four cooperative agreements with U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) – the University of South Florida, Alabama Geological Survey, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Fiscal Year 2019: Cooperative agreements were awarded to USCRP – the University of South Florida to study whether additional bathymetric surveys should be performed following storms, and whether resources are truly part of the sediment budget of the adjacent shoreline. The Alabama Geological Survey to recover legacy geological and geophysical data that will ultimately provide for development of an offshore sediment resources inventory. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection offshore sediment resources inventory. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to expand knowledge of offshore sand resources in a way that can positively impact coastal restoration and protection efforts, as well as coastal resiliency and sediment resource inventory. Fiscal Year 2020: Awarded funds to nine cooperative agreements with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Alabama Geological Survey, Louisiana State University Coastal Marine Institute, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of Texas Institute of Geophysics, Texas General Land Office and the University of Washington. Fiscal Year 2020: Cooperative agreements were awarded to the Louisiana Coast Protection and Restoration Authority to increase the available datasets for restoration-quality sediment to be made available for protection of communities and critical infrastructure from coastal storms in Louisiana and for the continued effort to incorporate geological and geophysical legacy data from the State of Louisiana into the BOEM Marine Minerals Information System. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection offshore sediment resources inventory. The Alabama Geological Survey to recover legacy geological and geophysical data that will provide for development of an offshore sediment resources inventory. The Louisiana State University Coastal Marine Institute investigating of Non-linear Sedimentation on Dredge Area Benthic Ecosystem on the Louisiana Shelf. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette to examine the impacts of dredging on habitat and species in Ship Shoal. The University of Texas Institute of Geophysics to process data in support of OCS sediment inventory. The Texas General Land office to collect new geological and geophysical OCS data to develop assessments of sand and gravel resources to be made available for protection of communities and critical infrastructure from future coastal storms in Texas. The University of Washington to co-investigate the In-situ Vent Analysis Divebot for Exobiology Research (InVADER) project.
Fiscal Year 2021 The Delaware Geological Survey to describe and map resource demand by project, project proponent, and geography relative to proven, potential, and unproven sand resources economically and technically accessible in the adjacent OCS. The Texas General Land Office to research the Upper Texas Coast conducting reconnaissance level geophysical and geological surveys. The University of Southern Mississippi to conduct research relating to offshore sediment resources, coastal restoration and protection, and coastal resiliency. The State of Louisiana to research South West Louisiana Coast reconnaissance level geophysical and geological surveys.
Fiscal Year 2022 Fiscal Year 2022 – Award funds to seven cooperative agreements with The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Geological and Water Survey, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Geological Survey of Alabama, The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, The University of Southern Mississippi, and The Texas General Land Office. Fiscal Year 2022 – Cooperative agreements to be awarded focus on the following. The New Jersey Geological and Water Survey’s support of BOEM’s National Offshore Sand Inventory (NOSI) characterization of OCS resources for potential use in upcoming New Jersey coastal resilience projects. The Geological Survey of Alabama geological and geophysical data for development of an offshore sediment resources inventory. Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority addressing sand resource needs offshore Louisiana. The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics geodatabase with core locations updated GIS to meet MMIS stands and a final technical report. The University of Southern Mississippi sediment resource inventory. The Texas General Land Office geologic and geophysical data collection and processing for identification of Outer Continental Shelf sediment resources offshore. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1331. Proposals are received from coastal States in need of coastal restoration. State agencies and organizations participating in the project, as well as the general public. States submit proposals to BOEM, which furnish evidence of the applicant's qualifications for performance of the proposed research. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Qualified applicants are invited to participate in a coordination conference held by BOEM to define future needs related to OCS sediment resources and resource identification for coastal restoration projects or programs. Coordination meetings between BOEM and qualified applicants are held to develop a long-term strategy and determine short term information needs to advance BOEM and coastal States’ goal to develop and maintain a National Offshore Sand Inventory and develop a National Offshore Critical Mineral Inventory. A Notice of Funding Availability is posted on Grants.gov notifying applicants that BOEM is accepting proposals for funding opportunities. BOEM reviews proposals and selects reward recipients. Applicants should consult the office of official designated as the single point of contact in their State to find out if the State has selected this program for review and for information on the process the State requires when applying for Federal assistance. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards apply to this program. Proposals must include a full statement of work, estimated budget, and resumes. Applicants shall post their applications on Grants.gov www.grants.gov. database and enroll in a new database GrantSolutions https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/ as specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The standard SF-424 application forms required by 2 CFR Part 215.12, and the Department of the Interior Code of Federal Regulations at 2 CFR 1402 or its revisions, must be used. BOEM and potentially representatives from other Federal agencies will review and discuss the States' proposals and make the final decision on the funding for a project. A notification of a cooperative agreement award is issued so the project can begin. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines 90 days. Not applicable. Projects that were approved and funded during the previous fiscal year may be submitted as renewals for subsequent years unless otherwise stated in the Notice of Funding Availability. The most important criteria are the relevance to State and Federal needs, technical ability of the State agency, and cost of the project. The funds must be spent for OCS-related sand activities. These cooperative agreements are awarded to assist States in order to identify needs and sand supplies for beach nourishment projects. Performance Reports: Applicable. Annual and final technical reports are required. Cash reports are not applicable. Annual and final financial reports using the OMB SF-425 form are required. Performance Monitoring is applicable. Not applicable. All records must be maintained for 3 years after submission of the final financial report. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. The Leasing Division-Marine Minerals Program encourages a 1-to-1 match of each Federal dollar with a nonfederal dollar.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Periods of performance for cooperative agreements may be for 1 – 5 years with potential for no-cost time extensions if needed. With funding subject to be awarded incrementally, subject to availability of Funds. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Information not available. Information not available. BOEM New Orleans Office: GOM OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123-2394; BOEM Pacific Office: 770 Paseo Camarillo, 2nd Floor, Camarillo, CA 93010. Jeffrey Reidenauer, PhD
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road,
Sterling, VA 20166 US
jeffrey.reidenauer@boem.gov
Phone: 703-787-1851 https://www.boem.gov/Marine-Minerals-Program/ 14-1917-0-0-306 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$1,348,000.00; FY 23 est $2,899,612.00; FY 24 Estimate Not Available FY 21$2,925,000.00; FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 18 Estimate Not Available FY 19 Estimate Not Available FY 17$500,000.00; - Range is: $199,000 to $1,000,000: Average: $485,000. Regulations include the OCS Lands Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and the Coastal Zone Management Act. Fiscal Year 2017 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2018 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2019 226,000
Fiscal Year 2020 No Available Information, the Program was not funded this fiscal year.
Fiscal Year 2021 The Delaware Geological Survey to describe and map resource demand by project, project proponent, and geography relative to proven, potential, and unproven sand resources economically and technically accessible in the adjacent OCS. The Texas General Land Office to research the Upper Texas Coast conducting reconnaissance level geophysical and geological surveys. The University of Southern Mississippi to conduct research relating to offshore sediment resources, coastal restoration and protection, and coastal resiliency. The State of Louisiana to research South West Louisiana Coast reconnaissance level geophysical and geological surveys.
Fiscal Year 2022 Fish Fry-Frying Pan Shoals Ecosystem Dynamics; Sand and Gravel Resource Characterization and Prioritization for New Jersey (NJ) Coastal Resilience Projects; and Detailed Interpretation and data resolution of sediment resources offshore Texas.
Fiscal Year 2023 Fiscal Year 2023 – Award funds to six cooperative agreements with The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Delaware Geological Survey University of Delaware, The University of Texas Institute of Geophysics, and the Texas General Land Office. The cooperative agreements will focus on the following activities. The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) to characterize the ecology of the OCS in areas of potential marine mineral resources. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to identify and map sand and gravel resources in Long Bay to enhance BOEM’s National Offshore Sand Inventory (NOSI), increase coastal resilience, and mitigate multi-use conflicts. Delaware Geological Survey, a unit of the University of Delaware to forecast the demand for and supply of OCS sand and gravel resources along the Mid-Atlantic region to support existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, public holdings, and critical infrastructure. The University of Texas Institute of Geophysics to conduct detailed interpretation and data resolution of sediment resources offshore Texas. The Texas General Land Office to conduct geologic data collection and processing for identification of OCS sediment resources offshore of central and lower Texas.