Opinions on Jimmy Carter’s presidency vary, but he merits praise for his administration of the OCS program from 1/1977 to 1/1981. Carter oversaw an active leasing program in all OCS regions. On the operations side, he appointed Don Kash to head the Conservation Division of the US Geological Survey, the OCS regulator at the time. Dr. Kash was an outstanding leader and a gifted communicator and program manager.
Some of the Carter administration’s impressive accomplishments during his 4 year term:
- 15 lease sales including 3 offshore Alaska, 3 in the Atlantic, and 1 offshore California
- Drilling activity in all 4 regions: GoM, Pacific, Alaska, and Atlantic
- Natural gas discovery in the Mid Atlantic (Hudson Canyon Unit)
- North, Mid, and South Atlantic District offices for permitting and inspections
- 5300 well starts including 97 in water depths > 1000′
- 314 new platforms including Cognac, the world’s first platform in > 1000′ of water
- Comprehensive amendments to the OCS Lands Act (1978)
- Annual natural gas production reached nearly 5 tcf (approximately 6 times current OCS gas production)
- Annual oil production was approximately 1/2 current levels which is impressive given that the deepwater era was just beginning and shelf wells had relatively low productivity.
Thank you Jimmy. I hope you are resting comfortably with your family during your final days.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 