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38 st / October 2015 www.sea-technology.com Other recent projects along Louisiana's coast using OCS sand involve the Cameron Parish Shoreline, Raccoon Island Backbarrier Marsh and Pelican Island. As for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the USACE Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program, fund- ed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to increase resilience in the area, is repairing barrier island breaches unable to heal naturally due to long- term loss of sand from the coastal system. These activities illustrate the ongoing BOEM MMP dialog with at least 17 states and a wide range of stakeholders and partners. They in- clude sand management working groups along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coasts; regional planning bodies or councils on the Atlantic; the Governor's South Atlan- tic Alliance; and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. Close collaboration with our federal partners in Washington, D.C., and their coastal offces—US- ACE, NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S Geological Survey, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, and the National Park Service—is key to successful outcomes. Another new relationship emerged from BOEM's Hurricane Sandy re- sponse: The extensive coordination with 13 Atlantic states became a catalyst for BOEM to streamline operations further in relation to state geologists. BOEM signed an agreement with the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) in June 2015 to foster interaction, cooperation and coordina- tion on marine minerals and oil and gas resources on the OCS. The agreement is designed to improve information ex- change and the ability for BOEM, AASG and its members to communicate on national plans and issues with each other. Future Priorities Because coastal systems are constantly changing, BO- EM's priority is to be dynamic and ready to meet the na- tion's coastal sand resource needs. Our planning depends on consultations with diverse stakeholders to assess needs and concerns, and conducting environmental research and analyses to make informed decisions. Looking ahead, BOEM is working with the fve Gulf Coast States to develop a Gulf-wide sand inventory to support long-term restoration planning. Nationally, BOEM is work- ing with the USACE to establish a more formal mechanism to plan and coordinate long term. Through enhanced coor- dination with Interior bureaus, we are working to leverage our expertise and other resources with theirs. BOEM's goal is to help communities make the best decisions to strength- en coastal resilience in meaningful, sustainable ways. ST es. Three active projects are using Ship Shoal sand: Camina- da Increment I (recently completed), Caminada Increment II (construction in progress), and Whiskey Island Restoration (lease signed June 2015). Presently, two projects mentioned above are taking place with funds from DWH fnes and penalties: Caminada Head- land Beach and Dune Restoration Project Increment II, fund- ed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Gulf Environmental Beneft Fund; and the Caillou Lake Headlands (Whiskey Island) Natural Resources Damage As- sessment (NRDA) Early Restoration Project. DWH fnes and penalties are also funding the North Breton Island NRDA Early Restoration Project. Completion of Increment I of the Caminada Headland Restoration Project was a major accomplishment. It was the frst project to use sand from Ship Shoal (located about 27 naut. mi. from the project site). Ship Shoal has been the tar- get of restoration planners in Louisiana for more than three decades; large volumes of beach-quality sand are a rare oc- currence on the muddy shelf offshore the Mississippi delta plain. The Whiskey Island project will excavate up to 13.4 million cu. yd. of high-quality sand from Ship Shoal, the largest volume of OCS sand authorized for use on a single project in the program's history. Sand located 9 mi. off- shore on the OCS will be pumped to the project site to construct some 1,100 ac. of barrier island habitat to pro- tect wetlands from storm impacts, and maintain the salinity and nutrient gradients in the estuaries that many species require for survival. The centralized sand placement will be redistributed by waves to naturally nourish down-drift barrier islands east and west of the project site and main- tain estuarine conditions in the Barataria-Terrebonne Na- tional Estuary system. With wetlands in the background, OCS sand from Ship Shoal in the Gulf of Mexico is placed onto Louisiana's Cami- nada Headland, one of the most rapidly eroding shorelines in North America. The barrier headland provides unique habitat and plays an important role in protecting wetlands from storm impacts. It also maintains the salinity and nutri- ent gradients in the estuaries that many species require for survival. (Photo Credit: Weeks Marine, by Patrick Quigley, gulfcoastairphoto.com) Abigail Ross Hopper is the director of the U.S. Bu- reau of Ocean Energy Management. She oversees the management of 1.7 billion acres of resources on the Outer Continental Shelf, including conventional and renewable energy, as well as marine minerals for coastal restoration. Hopper previously served as the director of the Maryland Energy Administration and energy advisor to former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.