Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee

Rep. Jeff Duncan chosen to serve on Federal OCS Policy Committee
Department of the Interior - Minerals Management Service
5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Subcommittee

The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy Committee provides advice to the Secretary of the Interior on implementing the OCS Lands Act. It currently has three subcommittees: the 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Subcommittee; the OCS Alternative Energy Subcommittee; and the Hard Minerals Subcommittee.

Rep. Jeff Duncan has just been appointed to serve on the 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Subcommittee of the OCS Policy Committee. This Subcommittee's primary purpose is to assist and provide recommendations to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the Department of the Interior, through the full OCS Policy Committee, on the 5-Year leasing process that the OCS Lands Act, as amended, requires the Department of the Interior to undertake in developing a 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

This assessment by the Subcommittee will help guide the Secretary of the Interior and the MMS in determining if the current 5-Year process is the best method for assuring that the OCS meets the energy needs of the United States within the framework of a national energy policy and in the development of the next 5-year process.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve our nation in this capacity as we seek to meet our energy demands for the future,” Representative Duncan said. “I believe that there are ways in which we can reduce our reliance on foreign sources of energy while remaining good stewards of the environment.”