There are some stiff Federal requirements that mandate that old rigs be removed and the bottom swept clean or that the rig be reefed with at least 90 ft of clearance and/or bouys (sometimes with lights) be placed over the structures. If federal legislators were approached about relaxing these reefing requirements just a little, costs would go down considerably and there would likely be more artificial reefs...especially there would be more reefs within 40 miles of our mid- and upper-coast passes. TPWD - Artificial Reef Program would love to share in the savings from the reefing of these close platforms. Under current rules, though, there is no savings for production company to reef a platform in shallow (<150 (est)) of water. The Buc Field donation may end up being break-even, at best (as compared to complete removal)
