Gulf of Mexico OCS Blocks with Significant Sediment Resources

This data set contains Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) block outlines in ESRI ArcGIS shapefile format for the BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region that contain identified mineral resources and areas of sediment disposal managed by the BOEM's Marine Minerals Program. Coastal restoration, beach nourishment, and levee reconstruction are crucial to mitigate future coastal erosion, land loss, flooding, and storm damage in the Gulf of Mexico Region. The success of long-term effort depends on locating and securing significant quantities of OCS sediment resources that are compatible with the target environments being restored. Offshore mineral resources, like upland sources, are extremely scarce where most needed. Additionally, some areas of these relatively small offshore mineral resources are not extractable because of the presence of infrastructure, archaeologically sensitive areas, and/or biologically sensitive areas. Since the use of OCS sediment resources is authorized by the BOEM through its Marine Minerals Program, the bureau is implementing measures to help safeguard the most significant OCS sediment resources, reduce multiple use conflicts, and minimize interference with operations under existing leases or rights-of-way. During the planning process, entities may reference the block attributes provided in this dataset to inquire about specific resources within those areas. As new information becomes available, blocks designated as significant sediment resource areas will be updated. In doing so, the BOEM MMP can continue to serve as an effective steward of our OCS resources. For more information on how BOEM manages multiple uses on the OCS or to get the most up to date information on official OCS block designations as significant sediment resource areas, visit https://www.boem.gov/marine-minerals/multiple-uses-ocs.