The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on November 9, 2023 that it is beginning to formulate its Fiscal Year 2025–2026 Studies Development Plan covering all of its offshore energy and minerals activities.
Through December 7, 2023, the agency is inviting interested parties to submit study ideas for consideration in Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific OCS areas. Study ideas must be relevant to BOEM’s information requirements in the areas of biological, oceanographic (physical and chemical) and social sciences (including economic and cultural research) and Indigenous knowledge.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is responsible for managing the development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy and mineral resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. A critical component of BOEM’s mission is protecting the environment while overseeing the development of OCS energy and marine mineral resources.
BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (ESP) develops, funds and manages rigorous scientific research specifically to inform policy decisions on the development of energy and mineral resources on the OCS, as required by law. This environmental and social science research is designed to provide BOEM the necessary information to assess, predict, monitor and manage potential environmental impacts of the activities it authorizes.
As part of this effort, ESP staff prepare BOEM’s annual Studies Development Plan to cover a two-year planning period. The plan includes brief study descriptions, or profiles, that describe proposed studies for the upcoming fiscal year and for one successive year. These studies are designed to collect the information necessary to meet the needs of BOEM scientists, rule writers, modelers, decision makers and other users. Proposed studies are evaluated for program relevance, programmatic timeliness and scientific merit.
Dr. Rodney E. Cluck, BOEM Division of Environmental Sciences Chief encourages those interested to review BOEM’s National Studies List for Fiscal Year 2024, which identifies studies BOEM intends to procure in FY 2024 (subject to availability of funding). The current Studies Development Plan is online and the ESP Hub provides access to completed reports.
Brief summaries of recently completed studies can also be found in the archive of ESP Quarterly Reports.
Contributors are urged to carefully consider BOEM’s ESP Strategic Framework – particularly the criteria and questions – when formulating their study ideas. Of note, BOEM’s priority will continue to be studies related to offshore wind. Study ideas focusing on environmental monitoring and cumulative effects of offshore wind are of particular interest.
Further, BOEM is also interested in studies incorporating innovative technologies or techniques.
Send your suggestions in a short paragraph via email to BOEMEnviroStudies@BOEM.GOV by December 7, 2023. Each submission should include an explanation of why BOEM should consider funding it in light of the points noted above.
Please note that all submissions become property of the federal government. While suggestions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, there is no guarantee they will be accepted. Some ideas may be combined with other suggestions. Incorporation of an idea does not imply that the submitter will receive funding.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is responsible for America’s offshore energy and mineral resources. The bureau promotes energy independence, environmental protection and economic development through responsible, science-based management of energy and mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Guice Offshore Vessels Work With Scientific and Government Researchers; Even Documentary Filmmakers
Guice Offshore (“GO”)’s fleet is regularly employed in a variety of support roles including ocean science research and development, and other special projects requiring top-of-the-line, highly dependable offshore support vessels. Our multi-purpose vessel GO America, based in Port Everglades, Florida, operates in conjunction with our partners Global SubDive to support a large array of science and research projects, often utilizing GSD submarines and ROVs. Similarly, partner Ryan Marine is an expert in the field of unmanned vehicle operation, which allows us to provide turnkey AUV and UUV services anywhere in the United States and Caribbean.
Guice Offshore vessels like the 150 ft. DP1 GO Liberty or the 170 ft. DP1 GO Discovery are often used by geotechnical and other types of companies to perform detailed survey activities such as seabed mapping, soil investigations and core sampling. Depending on their equipment installed, our vessels can work in a variety of coastal or offshore environments and water depths. The open cargo deck, ample accommodations, excellent maneuverability and station-keeping, all coupled with an efficient cost of operations, makes the Guice Offshore fleet a consistently reliable choice for those needing an offshore supply vessel or marine transport.
For researchers looking to document their missions, Guice Offshore vessels also support movie and television productions, whose crew needs capable vessels like ours to film scenes, house crews or transport between sets. Our vessels have participated in the filming of feature films movies Deepwater Horizon and Isolation. GO America was also supporting actor in the TV series Cooper’s Treasure Season 2 and Shark Week’s “Tiger Shark King” episode. GO vessels have even been mentioned on national news programs for their participation in life-saving rescues or other offshore recovery missions. With our partners, submarines and ROVs can be provided to assist with underwater cinematography.
