CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to prepare Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), Environmental Assessments (EAs), and related environmental documentation in support of MMS’ Alternative Energy Programs and the development of offshore alternative energy and alternative use facilities. The Government’s requirement is for ongoing support in preparing Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), EAs, and other appropriate environmental reports and documentation required by Federal and State regulation. These documents often address highly complex and controversial issues and may be subject to rigorous review by experts in scientific and legal fields, governmental agencies, non‑government organizations, industry, and the general public.
Once the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is initiated by the MMS with a Notice of Preparation of an EA or Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS, CSA will develop the EA or EIS under the MMS direction, organize public hearings, and respond to public and cooperating agency comments. We will compile and evaluate environmental information, author the NEPA document, and incorporate all necessary analyses of alternatives, mitigation measures, and cumulative impacts as directed by the MMS. The NEPA document may also contain analyses, documentation, and inter-agency reviews mandated by other environmental statutes listed below.
CSA will synthesize public and cooperating agency comments during the course of document development and respond to comments under MMS direction. Examples of the actions that may be considered as relevant Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activities include, but are not limited to alternative energy technological testing; site characterization; wind energy facility construction, operation, and decommissioning; wave energy facility construction, operation, and decommissioning; current energy facility construction, operation, and decommissioning; alternate uses of oil and gas platforms and other structures on the OCS; and combinations thereof.
The depth, content, and timing of services necessary for CSA to prepare may vary. Proposed actions, alternatives, and issues to be addressed in NEPA and related environmental documentation may be technologically and scientifically precedent-setting, with little or no established protocol upon which to base an analysis. The proposed actions and range of alternatives to the proposed actions may change during document preparation as the result of further consideration, public comment, or external developments.
