Announcement of Non-NOIA Event
OTC 2008
Offshore Technology Conference
May 5 - 8
Houston, Texas
More information available here.
Announcement of Non-NOIA Event
OTC 2008
Offshore Technology Conference
May 5 - 8
Houston, Texas
More information available here.
Contact: Michael Kearns
(202) 347-6900 (w)
(202) 294-8071 (c)
For Immediate Release
Chevron Wins the
2008 NOIA Safety in Seas Award
Washington, DC, March 13, 2008– Chevron USA, Inc. was awarded the 2008 National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Safety in Seas Award today, recognizing their outstanding contribution to the safety of life offshore for energy workers. Chevron received the award for their Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Restoration Project.
Chevron’s award-winning nomination was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Minerals Management Service and the National Academy of Science’s Marine Board. The judges awarded the prestigious honor in recognition of the company’s relentless pursuit of improved processes and tools to safely remove debris and regain access to wellheads.
Immediately prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, industry had limited organizational capability or specialized tools to address subsea toppled wells entangled in structural debris. In many locations, large areas of the mud line soil had to be removed for safe access. Chevron overcame this series of obstacles by developing new processes and tools, and carrying them out with an exceptional record of safety.
NOIA President Tom Fry said “Chevron’s achievement is exemplary in successfully integrating safety and technological development together in a large scale recovery effort. We applaud the fact that the Coast Guard, the MMS and the National Academy of Sciences continue to recognize our industry’s achievement and we congratulate Chevron for their valuable contribution to the enhancement of offshore safety and responsible environmental stewardship.”
About the Safety in Seas Award: Acknowledging the significant contributions made by modern-day pioneers in their pursuit of the ocean frontier, Compass Publications, Inc., publishers of Sea Technology Magazine, established the NOIA Safety in Seas Award in 1978. The award recognizes excellence among those who, by their actions, design or influence, have contributed to improving the safety of life offshore. The award, now in its 28th year, continues to serve as a testimony to the high standards associated with the rapid growth of the ocean industries.
NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. The NOIA membership comprises more than 300 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering, to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.
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Announcement of Non-NOIA Event:
Global Marine
Renewable Energy
Conference
New York, NY
April 17 - 18, 2008
For more information or to register, click here.
February 27, 2008
Contact:
Michael Kearns
(202) 347-6900
Offshore Energy Industry Applauds Joint OceanCommission Initiative Report Card
February 27, 2008 (Washington, D.C.) – The National Ocean Industries Association today offered its congratulations to the members of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative for their efforts to keep attention on the critical issues of ocean policy in the United States.
The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative released its annual U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card, praising state and regional initiatives while criticizing the lack of significant progress at the federal level to commit adequate funding and affect meaningful ocean policy reform. While the nation’s overall grade inched up to a C from a C‐ average in 2006, the report card challenges our nation’s leaders to implement and fund policies that will ensure the longterm health and vitality of our oceans and our coastal communities.
Tom Fry, NOIA President, commented that, “Since the 2004 release of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s final report, NOIA has been on record supporting the principles of better coordinated ocean policy and the need for U.S.leadership internationally.”
“Several NOIA members have been involved in regional ocean governance efforts in the Gulf of Mexico; NOIA’s Board of Directors passed a resolution in support of calls for the United States to accede to the Law of the Sea Convention; and NOIA has worked closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as it develops the Integrated Ocean Observing System,” said Fry, noting specific areas of interest to his Association’s member companies.
“The oceans are a vital economic, energy and environmental resource for the nation, and deserve a well-crafted, coordinated management regime that recognizes all these aspects. By issuing this annual report card,” Fry concluded, “the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative has been effective in keeping the attention of policymakers on the scope and interdependence of the challenges facing them.”
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The National OceanIndustries Association is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of resources on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises more than 300 companies engaged in numerous business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.
For Immediate Release
February 6, 2008
Contact:
Michael Kearns
(202) 347-6900
Offshore Alaska Lease Sale Is Vital to Meeting America’s Energy Needs
(Washington, DC) At today’s lease sale in Anchorage, energy companies submitted a record number of bids – 667 altogether – for the right to search for oil and natural gas beneath the waters off the northern coast of Alaska. All told, these companies were prepared to spend $3.4 billion for the chance to look for domestic sources of energy.
Tom Fry, NOIA President, commented that, “the number of bids and the high dollar amounts that were offered indicate that the oil and natural gas industry is confident that the Chukchi Sea offers tremendous potential for the production of energy.”
The United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) holds 85.9 billion barrels of untapped oil and 419.9 trillion cubic feet of untapped natural gas, according to the Mineral Management Service (MMS). However, about 80 percent of these offshore areas are off-limits to oil and gas exploration.
“Every day, the fraction of the OCS that is open to energy production generates 1.5 million barrels of oil, an amount equivalent to our imports from Saudi Arabia,” explained Fry. “This is accomplished with a safety and environmental track record that withstood even the devastating destruction of the hurricanes in 2005.”
Alaska has enormous untapped oil and gas potential, especially in its offshore areas. The Chukchi Sea, is widely considered to be one of the last energy frontiers. According to the MMS, the Chukchi holds about 15 billion/bbl of recoverable oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.
“It is worth pointing out,” said Fry, “that the closest geographical bid submitted at this Lease Sale is 54 miles from shore.”
“As a country, we need ever more energy. The United States should certainly be developing renewable sources of energy, and we should also be safely developing domestic sources of oil and natural gas. It’s not an either/or proposition,” Fry argued.
In response to some criticisms that sought to delay or cancel the Lease Sale, Fry said, “To get here today involved participating in a thorough, multi-year planning and evaluation process by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and other federal regulatory agencies. Over that time, there were numerous environmental reviews and open periods of public comment. All sides were considered before this sale was originally scheduled,” Fry pointed out. “This sale was thoroughly vetted by all sides.”
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The National Ocean Industries Association is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of resources on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises more than 300 companies engaged in numerous business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.