BOEMRE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM:  ONGOING STUDIES

BOEMRE OCS Region:

Gulf of Mexico

Title:

Environmental Justice:  A Comparative Perspective in Louisiana (GM-92-42-106)

Planning Area:

Central

Total Cost:  $46,300

Period of Performance:  FY 2003 - 2006

Conducting Organization:

Coastal Marine Institute, Louisiana State University

BOEMRE Contact:

Dr. Harry Luton

Description:

Background:  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), 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.

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 BOEMRE (formerly MMS) research in this area to investigate environmental justice concerns associated with OCS oil and gas extraction.

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.

Products:  Annotated bibliography, final report, maps.

Importance to BOEMRE:  This project has refined and applied a methodology that the GOMR has used in an earlier Environmental Justice analyses.

Current Status:  This is a field test of an earlier research effort funded by BOEMRE (formerly MMS).  The final study report was delivered to BOEMRE weeks before hurricane Katrina.  This study is in the process of being closed; final technical edits will be completed in-house.

Final Report Due:

December 2005

Publications:

None

Affiliated WWW Sites:

Coastal Marine Institute

Revised date:

April 2011

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