Kay Bailey Hutchison: “if these concerns are not addressed, one of our country's most successful programs, the Outer Continental Shelf Leasing…”

“if these concerns are not addressed, one of our country's most successful programs, the Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Program, may be jeopardized. Under that program, the Federal Government has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in rents and royalties over the last 25 years, while at the same time developing safe and secure sources of energy for our country. Crucial to the success of that program is the ability of the private sector to conduct exploration of the Gulf of Mexico before submitting bids on the tracts offered for oil and gas leases. I recently learned that the Minerals Management Service [MMS] has proposed changes to the rules under which that exploration is conducted. These changes would potentially jeopardize the continuity and success of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act [OCSLA] program. Currently, geological and geophysical companies [G&G companies] conduct seismic surveys under MMS permits which require the permittees to provide the data they collect to the MMS under strict guarantees of confidentiality.”