Marine Minerals Activities

BOEM provides financial assistance to qualified partners to identify and evaluate OCS sediment for potential use in coastal restoration and beach nourishment projects or programs and to foster capacity building and working relationships with coastal States to address coastal erosion, coastal resilience, and regional sediment management. BOEM funds activities such as conducting state-based needs assessments; geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS; analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate sediment resources or benthic habitat; development of regional stratigraphic interpretations or models; modeling to describe or understand geologic processes that affect sediment resources; feasibility and related technological or operations studies; and cultural resources or shallow hazards identification. BOEM also provides financial assistance to qualified partners to assist in the identification and assessment of other potential OCS mineral resources such as critical minerals (as defined by Executive Order 13817 "A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals"). BOEM funds activities such as geophysical and geological data acquisition in specific areas on the OCS, as well as analysis and interpretation of existing or new geophysical and geological data to delineate marine minerals.