BOEM seeks environmental studies ideas

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is inviting the submission of ideas for future studies into the potential environmental impacts of the development of oil, natural gas, renewable energy and marine mineral resources on the U.S. outer continental shelf. The agency anticipates using suggestions from members of the public in formulating its environmental studies plan for fiscal year 2018. The plan forms part of BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program, a program under which the agency oversees and funds the collection of environmental information as required under the terms of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The concept behind the research program is the assembly of information that is needed to assess, predict, monitor and manage impacts on marine biota, and on the human, marine and coastal environment. BOEM is seeking ideas for research in the Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific outer continental shelf regions. The agency is particularly interested in ideas for hypothesis testing and that provide opportunities for citizen science. However, ideas must be relevant to BOEM’s requirements for biological, oceanographic, social, economic and cultural research.

BOEM says that it cannot guarantee to accept all ideas submitted and that it may combine several ideas into a single study. Acceptance of an idea does not imply the provision of funding for the submitter, the agency says.

Submissions are required by Dec. 30 and should be sent to BOEM’s chief of the Division of Environmental Sciences.

- ALAN BAILEY