Year 2014 Gulfwide Emissions Inventory Study

Personal Author: Wilson D; Billings R; Chang R; Enoch S; Do B; Perez H; Sellers J

Subject: Meteorology and Atmospheric Conditions
Air Quality
Air pollutant; emissions inventory; Gulf of Mexico OCS; marine vessels; criteria pollutants; greenhouse gases

CSE Reference: Wilson D, Billings R, Chang R, Enoch S, Do B, Perez H, Sellers J (Eastern Research Group, Inc., Morrisville, NC). 2017. Year 2014 Gulfwide emissions inventory study. New Orleans (LA): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 3 p. Obligation No.: M13PC00005. Report No.: OCS Study BOEM 2017-044. URL: https://espis.boem.gov/Technical%20Summaries/5626.pdf

Abstract: BOEM, formerly the Minerals Management Service, mandated the offshore operators in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region to participate in an annual survey program of emissions related to offshore operations to establish the gulf-wide emission inventory for years 2000, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014. The Year 2014 Gulfwide Emissions Inventory Study included all OCS oil and gas production platforms and non-platform sources in the Central and Western Planning Areas of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) for calendar year 2014. BOEM developed the Gulfwide Offshore Activities Data System (GOADS) software to assist offshore operators in recording information from emissions-related offshore activities. The study included methodologies for calculating the emissions based on the collected activity data, then compiled the inventory into databases consistent with the Environmental Protection Agency's Emissions Inventory System (EIS) format. Pollutants covered in the inventory are the criteria pollutants and precursors ammonia and volatile organic compounds, and three major greenhouse gases. In addition, a comparison of the emission estimates between the BOEM calendar year 2011 inventory and the 2014 inventory showed a decrease in emissions for all oil and natural gas production-related sources for 2014. The study explored the reasons for this trend, and provided a detailed trends analysis for BOEM inventories for calendar years 2000 through 2014.