Gulf of Mexico summary report. [Contains glossary]

For the near future, the Gulf of Mexico will remain the most developed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region in the United States and the world. Virtually all production from the US OCS emanates from the Gulf of Mexico. In calendar year 1982, for the two primary categories of hydrocarbons produced from the US OCS (oil/condensate and gas), Gulf production accounted for over 90 and 99 percent, respectively. Gulf OCS oil production for 1982 was 290 million barrels (46 million m/sup 3/), and gas production was 4.66 trillion cubic feet (130 billion m/sup 3/). Although most of the shallow-water areas of the Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelf have been explored, considerable amounts of hydrocarbons may yet be discovered in deepwater locations or in deep pay zones in shallower water. Industry has been developing the technology to explore deepwater areas, and interest in these portions of the Gulf has been increasing. Between December 1981 and December 1982, the total of all identified oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico OCS had increased from 505 to 537. The Department of the Interior's July 1982 final 5-year OCS oil and gas leasing schedule projects one to three Gulf of Mexico lease salesmore » or offerings per year through 1987, for a total of 12. To date, most of the oil and gas discoveries in the Gulf have occurred on the Texas-Louisiana Shelf, but in the future, oil and gas exploration is likely to include a number of areas where previous leasing has not been extensive. Each year, hundreds of miles of pipelines are added to the existing network in the Gulf of Mexico. 73 references, 7 figures, 15 tables.« less