Newswise — Ocean Springs, MS – The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (Alliance) has welcomed Chevron USA, Inc. into their Gulf Star program. Chevron (NYSE:CVX) is one of the leading leaseholders in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The company strives to build lasting relationships with communities in which it operates. Given the depth of expertise Chevron has with the region, they are an ideal partner to support the Alliance’s benthic habitat mapping project as a Gulf Star partner.
Since 2009, the Interagency Working Group for Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) has focused on identifying and prioritizing data layers that are significant for natural resource management. Benthic habitat maps were among a short list of crucial data layers as it is one of the most useful in coastal and continental shelf areas. Many state and federal agencies have hardbottom data sets from side-scan sonar, backscatter, lidar, and other data collection systems.
The goal of the new Gulf Star project is to have a comprehensive vision of the status and availability of benthic habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron’s funding will allow the Alliance’s Data and Monitoring Priority Issue Team to implement a benthic habitat mapping effort. The result of the project will be that all data sets are compiled into one comprehensive mapping platform, identifying temporal and spatial gaps in data.
“With Chevron’s contribution, we can fulfill this long-standing critical need for our partners and the region. This project is the type of core programming we strive to achieve through Gulf Star,” said Laura Bowie, Executive Director of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance.
Chevron joins a growing Gulf Star partnership that aims to provide funding for projects that are tied directly to Gulf economies such as sustainable seafood, loss of critical habitats, coastal resilience, water resources, living marine resources, and monitoring. The corporation participates in the Alliance’s Business Advisory Council where they have established a regular role in the organization.
“At Chevron, our global vision is to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance,” said Jaime Carbajal, Chevron’s General Manager of Health, Environment and Safety in the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re proud to partner with Gulf of Mexico Alliance in the Gulf Star program and this important mapping initiative. Chevron’s also proud to support the Alliance’s mission of enhancing the environmental and economic health of the Gulf through collaboration. Together we can bring real and lasting benefits to Gulf Coast communities.”
Chevron joins recent partner Equinor along with existing Gulf Star members the Hess Corporation, Shell, Freeport-McMoRan, BHP, Anadarko, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, and the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Read more about the Gulf Star program on www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org.
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