FINAL CLOSE-OUT REPORT

Abstract

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) engaged in numerous projects outlined under the scope of work discussed in the United States Department of Energy (DOE) grant number DE-FG26-01BC15336 awarded to the IOGCC. Numerous projects were completed that were extremely valuable to state oil and gas agencies as a result of work performed utilizing resources provided by the grant. There are numerous areas in which state agencies still need assistance. This additional assistance will need to be addressed under another grant because funding resources have been exhausted under The scope of work objectives for the eight projects covered under this grant is as follows: (1) Improve uniformity within state oil and gas data management efforts. (2) Conduct environmental compliance workshops and related educational projects on natural gas and oil exploration and production. (3) Improve regulatory efficiency through partnering opportunities provided by the Appalachian Illinois Basin Directors. (4) Promote the development and implementation of risk-based environmental regulation at the state level through an expertise-sharing program that brings stakeholders together to develop guidelines and models to meet regulatory challenges. (5) Support the IOGCC's regulatory streamlining efforts, including the identification and elimination of unnecessary duplications of effort between state and federal programs dealing with exploration and production on public lands, and identify the need to enhance and regionalize regulatory coordination and cooperation among the states. (6) Involve states and provinces of Canada that have offshore petroleum exploration and production in a regulatory sharing alliance to identify areas of concern that may be incorporated into standard practices for offshore environmental and regulatory compliance. (7) Coordinate efforts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that adequate information is available to the public regarding oil and gas exploration and production operations consistent with the intent of ''community right-to-know'' programs. (8) Demonstrate leadership in educating the public about the exploration, extraction and refining of petroleum; the economic value of domestic petroleum and its byproducts; conservation measures and their benefits; and other topics designed to assist the American public in gaining understanding of the importance of domestic resources and defining a true picture of those resources.