NEWSROOM
Artificial
Reef Council to Consider Hurricane Damaged Platforms
March 1, 2006
The Louisiana
Artificial Reef Council met on Feb. 15, 2006 to discuss the status
of the 166 offshore oil and gas platforms that were damaged or
destroyed during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and their potential
use in the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program.
The council
requested that companies that intend to request to reef their
hurricane-damaged platforms should submit proposals to the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Platforms in the nine designated
planning areas and those in water depths greater than 400 feet
will be given first consideration. Those platforms located outside
the designated planning areas will be considered as candidates
for Special Artificial Reef Sites (SARS) and will be handled on
a case-by-case basis.
SARS are defined
as those reefs that provide exceptional fishing opportunities
and are created to take advantage of material available for construction
outside the nine planning regions designated by the Louisiana
Artificial Reef Council, while minimizing impacts on other user
groups such as shrimping, navigation and other oil and gas interests.
In order to begin proposal review before the next council meeting,
proposals should be submitted by March 20, 2006 and address the
following elements:
A) Name
of Company
B) Location:
X, Y coordinates, Longitude and Latitude, and Area and Block
C) Clearance
and relief (suggested minimum 85 feet of clearance, 50 feet
of relief)
D) Bottom
profile and water depth
E) Condition
of structure and list of potential hydrocarbons and hazardous
materials associated with the structure
F) Justification
for SARS creation: i.e. biological productivity, risk of complete
removal, popular fishing or diving site, etc.
G) Would
the decks be removed?
H) Miles
from a fairway?
I) Maximum 4000 feet by 4000 feet permitted area for one buoy
marker. Are there opportunities to place multiple platforms
within the permitted area? (numbers and types of platforms to
be placed)
J) Is the
platform at least 1000 feet from an active pipeline? (500 feet
within permitted area and the pipeline 500 feet outside permitted
area)
Drawings and
other pertinent information should be included.
Those SARS
proposals that are accepted by the council will be announced through
a department news release to solicit public input. If no objections
are received, the appropriate permits will be applied for. In
the event objections are received, a public hearing will be held
to provide further information before final determination by the
Council.
To submit
proposals or for further information contact Rick Kasprzak, at
the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70898 or call 225-765-2375 or email rkasprzak@wlf.louisiana.gov.
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