How-To Guide

How to Obtain Information about 8(g) MMS Plans

The Louisiana offshore 8(g) zone refers to the area located between three (3) and six (6) miles from the coastal boundary of Louisiana – as described in the OCS Lands Act.  The Office of Mineral Resources (OMR) is the designated agency for the State of Louisiana to receive and evaluate Exploration Plans (EPs) and Development Operations Coordination Documents (DOCDs) on offshore Federal leases located totally or partially within the Louisiana 8(g) area.  Review by OMR is exclusive of any formal consistency evaluation carried out under the state’s Coastal Zone Management Program.

Should you have any questions, please contact Byron Miller, at (225) 342-7121 or Byron.Miller@la.gov.

When submitting an EP or DOCD to the MMS for activities in the 8(g) zone, the MMS will send a public information copy to OMR for review and comment.

For plans with a bottom hole location more than 2000 feet from the state/federal boundary, in most cases, OMR will issue a letter of no objection.

For plans with a bottom hole location less than 2000 feet from the state/federal boundary with the possibility of draining state acreage, OMR will object to the plan unless:

  1. The operator agrees, in advance and in writing, to unitize in an appropriate manner with either the State of Louisiana or the appropriate lessee of any reservoir on the federal lease referenced in the plan which also underlies state acreage; or,

  2. The operator demonstrates to the state that drainage of state acreage will not occur as a result of the plan; or,

  3. The MMS and the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources reach an agreement in good faith regarding the future development plans for the proposed area.

While OMR cannot respond to a proposed plan until it has received notification from the MMS, you may facilitate and expedite OMR's review process by forwarding a copy of the OCS Plan Information Form, MMS-137, and a well location plat showing surface and bottom hole location for each well in your plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I required to contact the Office of Mineral Resources on my proposed activity in the 8(g) zone?

No, if the public information copy of your plan includes the well bottom hole locations, then the Office of Mineral Resources (OMR) has sufficient information to determine whether or not the state may be affected by your plan.

What can I do to expedite the Office of Mineral Resources review of my proposed plan?

While OMR cannot respond to a proposed plan until it has received notification from the MMS, you may facilitate and expedite OMR's review process by forwarding a copy of Form MMS-137 and a well location plat showing surface and bottom hole location for each well in your plan.

When is it good to provide the Office of Mineral Resources some of the proprietary information in my proposed plan?

When the wells in your plan have bottom hole locations within 2000 feet of the state/federal boundary, OMR may require additional information to properly evaluate potential reservoir limits with respect to state acreage.