Mineral Mangement Service
Department of the Interior

Within the federal goverment are people who are aware of the oil drought relationship as there were people aware of the addicting, carcogenic nature of tobacco. A Congressional or Citiizen commission  could establish this a prioi awareness. If one reviews government documents (changes, evolutions and devolutions) of the Mineral Management Service (MMS), one wonders about the origin of the Malthusian Invisible Hand of Market Action.

As shown below, the MMS has reduced controls, documentation and verification of what oil companies do on drilling rigs. In some cases, not only is certain data collection not required but the sections describing the data source are not to be found.

The issue of importance for the oil-drought connection is how the MMS allows uncontrolled, unsupervised and undocumented flaring of these monster deepwater oil wells that have more than 100 times the production rate of on-shore wells. And, there is a smoking gun.

Document extract	Comment by author
EPA Report: The largest combustion emission source for methane [CO2] ....is offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico ..	These are at the head of the Southeast US drought.envelope
1997 Report: "Extended or large-volume flaring and oil or condensate burning associated with deepwater well testing will require full evaluation of impacts to air quality [by the oil company]..	This is like letting tobacco companies determine the health impact of smoking cigarettes.
1997 Report: "These extended tests result in requests for larger volumes of gas flaring and burning of liquid hydrocarbons."	Call it a test and you don't have to be accountable.
Flaring Regulations 1998 (Joke#1): "As part of the initiative to reinvent government by reducing regulatory burden and providing improved service to our customers, we have established revised procedures for certain regulatory requirements .... these new procedures provide equal or better protection of natural resources .... Effective immediately, you may comply with the revised procedures described below on a voluntary basis until we complete formal regulatory revisions. [Italics and bold author, ROFLOL] The above constitutes giving reprobates a "Get out of jail free" card before giving them the keys to the kindergarden.	Semantic Slippage: Regulatory burden? No. Regulartory responsibility. Improved service? No, free lunch. Revised procedures? No, eliminated oversight. Equal or better protection? No, null or lesser Comply ... on voluntary basis? No, comply by doing nothing. Bill Clinton write these?
Flaring Regulations 1998 (Joke#2) "We no longer require you to complete data element numbers 110 through 114, 119, and 120, and request an MER rate [Maximum Efficiency Rate]. [Element numbers 110>114 are no longer listed for meaning or review.]	The elimination of the MER requirement means you can pump away at whatever rate you want which means you will flare a lot with no records required except on a "voluntary basis"--previous MMS joke.
Rules 1998: A revised MPR (maximum production rate) shall automatically be approved for each well completion for each well test submitted equal to 110 percent of the test rate. The revised MPR will be effective on the first day of the month following the date the well test was conducted.	This is like the department of transportation putting up speed signs that read: You may change the speed limit as long as you request a higher speed limit. Until we approve your request, you may drive at 110% of the requested speed limit. Or, consider: If you test the bridge at 100 ton capacity, you can use it for 110 ton traffic.
Rules 1998: Temporary production rates resulting from normal variations and fluctuations exceeding a well MPR or reservoir MER shall not be considered a violation,	Who defines normal variations and fluctuaions?
Flaring Policy 2000: Flaring oil field gas for up to one year may be permitted for economic reasons, with justification, if there is an approved plan of action to eliminate the flare.	The approved plan of action is to eliminate the flare by burning off the majority of the gas--NO MER, see above.
Flaring Policy 2000: One of the major issues facing deepwater development is the disposition of produced natural gas.	This is why the policies were relaxed. It's not economically feasible to get oil from deep-water wells without flaring the associated gas.
MMS AWARDS ROYALTY RELIEF TO SECOND DEEP WATER FIELD IN THE GULF OF MEXICO Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced that deep water royalty relief has been granted to Amoco for the Mississippi Canyon Block 84 Field. Royalties will be suspended on the first 87.5 million barrels of oil equivalent produced from the field,	Royalty Relief? No, royalty theft! Insult to Injury: Paying oil companies to destroy Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas is a wonderful idea.

In summary, the Mineral Management Service of the Department of Interior

1. allows all kinds of excuses to flare natural gas and
2. requires no variafiable record keeping.

If there is a Federal agency criminally culpable in the ecological and economical devastation from oil droughts, the MMS is the prime culprit. Its policies on reflect a lack of intelligence or, worse, integrity.