The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) held a series of public scoping meetings across the U.S. regarding the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to analyze the impacts of geological and geophysical activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

The PEIS will extend from the shoreline to the outer continental shelf, and will take into account all geological and geophysical activity in the Gulf of Mexico, including seismic, magnetic, and gravitational activity, as well as drilling, and other assessments. The PEIS will also analyze the impacts of increased oil and gas production on sociological, biological, and physical resources in the Gulf of Mexico.

The final PEIS is expected to be released in early- to mid-2015.