The Marine Minerals Program (MMP) partners with communities to reduce serious erosion along the Nation's coastal beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and wetlands. This erosion can harm our natural resources, energy, defense, public infrastructure, and tourism, affecting our nation. To address this challenge, MMP issues leases for sand, gravel, and/or shell resources from federal waters. Our efforts focus on shore protection, beach nourishment, and wetland restoration, while prioritizing environmental oversight.
The United States has potential offshore critical minerals to supply our strategic needs, but they are currently an underexplored and untapped resource. To tackle our stewardship role, the MMP is gathering more information about mineral locations, characteristics, and the associated ecosystems.
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) provides the authority to manage minerals on the OCS and the requirement to provide environmental oversight. BOEM is the only federal agency with the authority to lease marine minerals from the OCS, including responding to commercial requests for OCS minerals such as gold, manganese, or other hard minerals.
Want to learn more? Explore our Legal Framework, discover our mission and vision, or check out our fact sheet for quick insights.
BOEM works alongside federal, state, and local governments, tribes, environmental organizations, and industry partners to promote responsible marine minerals use. Together, we conduct research and gather valuable feedback to ensure that our ocean resources are managed sustainably.
BOEM’s projects have restored hundreds of miles of coastline, protecting billions of dollars in infrastructure and vital ecological habitats.
Explore our comprehensive collection of studies, datasets and tools related to the MMP and the Marine Mineral Information System (MMIS) Viewer. These resources support research and promote sustainable management of our valuable marine resources.
