The Minerals Management Service is the Interior Department agency responsible for leasing and managing our Nation's oceans for oil and natural gas development and for other mineral and energy uses. Additionally, the MMS's Minerals Revenue Management (MRM) Program manages all revenues associated with both federal offshore and onshore mineral leases. The MRM’s work results in one of the greatest sources of non-tax revenues for the Federal government.

While MMS’s Offshore Energy & Minerals Management (OEMM) offices contend with all aspects of offshore federal leasing, federal onshore mineral leasing activities are managed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management and the Agriculture Department’s U.S. Forest Service. Indian mineral leases are administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management. The MMS’s MRM, in conjunction with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, provides revenue management services for mineral leases on Indian lands.

Operationally based at the Denver Federal Center in Colorado, the MRM Program also has field offices near principal energy development areas in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Some federal lands are leased to individuals and companies for minerals development. Lease holders competitively bid, initially pay a bonus, and subsequently rent, for the right to develop these onshore and offshore lands. If minerals are found, extracted and sold, the federal government is entitled to a certain percentage of, or royalty, on the production.

Using sophisticated, computerized accounting systems, the MRM processes nearly $1 billion in payments each month. Bonuses, rents and royalties from more than 67,000 leases can amount to several billion dollars each year—an amount that peaked to more than $23 billion in 2008 and has averaged approximately $13 billion during the past five years. Totals fluctuate with market prices, amount of production, and the number of lease sales.

The work of the Offshore Energy and Minerals Management Program (OEMM) includes the preparation and administration of regular offshore oil and gas lease sales. Additionally, we are responsible for conducting supporting research and documentation leading up to each lease sale. Our needs are many and varied from engineers, marine biologists, geologists, geophysicists, social scientists, environmental specialists, petroleum engineers, program analysts, statisticians and economists to name just a few.

The OCS is a significant source of oil and gas for the Nation’s energy supply. The approximately 43 million leased OCS acres generally accounts for about 15 percent of America’s domestic natural gas production and about 27 percent of America’s domestic oil production. The MMS’s oversight and regulatory framework ensure production and drilling are done in an environmentally responsible manner, and done safely.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C. and the nearby suburb of Herndon, Virginia, OEMM also has regional offices in Anchorage, Alaska; Camarillo, California; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

In addition, MMS has finalized regulations to guide Renewable Energy endeavors located on the OCS. Examples of potential renewable energy projects include wind energy, wave energy, ocean current energy, and more. We are excited to be administering this new Program on behalf of the nation and are eager to see where new innovations in offshore Renewable Energy projects will take us in the future. This program is devoted to oversight and facilitating the development of alternatives such as wind power, wave and current power, and solar energy.

This is an extremely important and exhilarating time for the MMS team. We need the best and the brightest to achieve our goals, meet our mission requirements and perhaps most importantly, ensure that we do all we can to securely recover America's energy resources offshore.