Navigating The BiOp

On March 13, 2020, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published their Biological Opinion on the Federally Regulated Oil and Gas Program Activities in the Gulf of Mexico (BiOp), which became effective upon publication. The NMFS BiOp is a sizable document (720 pages) that affects a wide range of oil and gas activities in the GOM; from permitting and surveying to day-to-day vessel operations. CSA’s simple-to-use guide is designed to provide anyone working in association with the offshore oil and gas industry in the GOM with the clear and unambiguous steps needed to ensure compliance.

Navigating the BiOp is organized by permitting and/or operational conditions for the following affected oil and gas-related activity types: (1) Vessel Operations, (2) Survey and Data Collection, (3) Drilling Activities, (4) Structures/Construction, (5) Production Operations, (6) Pipelines, (7) Decommissioning, (8) New and Unusual Technologies, (9) Oil Spills, and (10) NMFS Step-Down Review.

Published by CSA Ocean Sciences Inc.