As part of President Obama’s continuing commitment to help protect and restore coastal areas, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District and the City of Folly Beach, South Carolina, for the noncompetitive use of Outer Continental Shelf sand.
The project will restore sand lost to erosion within the federally authorized shore protection project at Folly Beach. The entire project will excavate approximately 1.5 million cubic yards of sand and place it along approximately five miles of shoreline. The agreement between BOEM and the Corps will allow the Corps to use up to 850,000 cubic yards of the total amount from two federally-managed areas located in federal waters approximately 3.7 mi and 4.1 mi, respectively, offshore of Charleston County, SC.
Dredging operations using sand sources in South Carolina state waters began in January and operations to move sand from these federally-managed sites began last week. The Charleston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipates the project will be complete by the end of June.
BOEM manages non-energy minerals and sediment obtained from the ocean floor, including OCS sand used for coastal restoration and protection. BOEM has the authority to convey, on a noncompetitive basis, the rights to OCS sand, gravel, or shell resources for shore protection; beach or wetlands restoration projects; or use in construction projects funded in whole or part or authorized by the federal government. In cooperation with other federal agencies, BOEM conducts extensive technical and environmental reviews of projects so that any potential adverse impacts on the marine, coastal, and human environments are avoided or minimized.
BOEM has already conveyed the rights to about 77 million cubic yards of OCS sand for 42 coastal restoration projects in six states. These projects have resulted in the restoration of more than 230 miles of the nation’s coastline, protecting billions of dollars of infrastructure as well as important ecological habitat.
For more information about BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program, visit http://www.boem.gov/Marine-Minerals-Program/
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management promotes economic development, energy independence, and environmental protection through responsible, science-based management of offshore conventional and renewable energy resources.