Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information Program: Gulf of Mexico index (January 1978 - November 1980)

The United States is currently engaged in an effort to develop the oil and gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In the Gulf of Mexico, State jurisdiction extends for 3 leagues (9 nautical miles or 16.68 km) off the coast of Texas and the western coast of Florida and for 3 geographical (nautical) miles (5.56 km) from the coastlines of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Gulf of Mexico OCS, which comprises the submerged lands of the Continental Shelf seaward of the Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas State boundaries, is under Federal jurisdiction. Activities occurring offshore must be supplied and supported from land, and the onshore activities required may have significant effects on the communities in which they occur. For example, oil and gas production might involve the expansion of existing transportation and processing facilities and the construction of new ones, and it might trigger an influx of workers and change employment patterns. These effects, in turn, could influence regional income, demand on public services, tax revenues, and air and water quality.