PCOM

Planning Committee (PCOM)

December 1995

Motions and consensus statements requiring action by ODP/TAMU

PCOM Consensus 95-3-13

PCOM, endorsing the recommendation of PANCH, supports the TEDCOM subcommittee’s recommendation regarding the acquisition of quotes for the evaluation and construction of the alternative seafloor DCS feed control system, and recommends that JOI ask ODP/TAMU to conduct this evaluation.

Action: Quotes have been received from parvus and Stress engineering. However the project is now on hold for the short term, while the ODP/TAMU revisits the whole controller issue and investigates the potential of activating the primary heave compensator.

PCOM Motion 95-3-16

PCOM advises JOI that it gives a high priority to purchase of scanners and disc storage space for the production of the Initial Reports volume. PCOM requests that this equipment be purchased after further investigation of available options and their cost-benefit ratio.
Action: The equipment was purchased in the summer of 1996. The scanner is functional and the server is scheduled to come on line later this year, or early 1997.

PCOM Motion 95-3-18

PCOM requests JOI to direct ODP/TAMU to raise the price of Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program volumes to $60 and widen the distribution of volumes rather than to cut the size of the production run.

Action: The revised price list was approved by JOI on 15 May 1996. This included the increase in the cost of books from $45 to $60, and the initiation of credit card payment for publications.

April 1996

PCOM Consensus 96-1-3

PCOM encourages a workshop to be held in June 1996 to investigate the scientific and technical benefits of using JOIDES Resolution to conduct tension pile tests necessary for commercial operations in water depths beyond those accessible by jack-up rigs. Future utilization of JOIDES Resolution in such operations would depend on the possibilities of significant benefits to both the scientific and technical communities. Actual scheduling of JOIDES Resolution ship-time must be done in the context of other programs scheduled or under consideration.

Action: The workshop on “The Application of Hydraulic Piston Coring to Site Investigation for Deepwater Production Platforms,” co-sponsored by ODP/TAMU and the Offshore Technology Research Center at TAMU, took place on 18 June 1996 in Houston. ODP/TAMU made a presentation which provoked interest from the technical community. However, interest was stalled because of an apparent conflict of interest between the science and technical communities over the use of the ships operational time.

PCOM Motion 96-1-7

PCOM accepts the recommendation of DMP to redefine the geochemical tool string as an ODP Specialty Tool and sees no other significant way to reduce items for inclusion in the WLS Scope of Work. PCOM agrees that the WLS RFP should refrain from descriptions that compel selection of any specific operator as the provider of logging tools.

Action: Legs requiring use of the geochemical tool to attain primary Leg objectives will be flagged under Project A.

PCOM Motion 96-1-18

PCOM recommends the formation of a Detailed Planning Group to further develop and prioritize proposals near Antarctica related to the history and extent of Antarctic Glaciation and Climate (the JOIDES Office will determine which proposals and LOI’s are appropriate). The mandate for this working group is to:

develop viable drilling plans to constrain the timing and extent of regional glaciation;

guide the proponent groups as they assemble relevant site survey information and submit it to the Site Survey Data Bank;

prioritize the proposals based on scientific quality and consistency with the ODP/TAMU Long Range Plan;

consider operational constraints, recognizing that weather will likely limit the extent of drilling operations in the region; and

submit a drilling plan for possible inclusion in the 1998 drilling prospectus for the August 1996 PCOM meeting, and further reports if needed for Fall 1996 thematic panel meetings and the December 1996 PCOM meeting. PCOM will evaluate in its December 1996 meeting whether to disband this DPG, or continue its operation.

Action: The DPG met at ODP/TAMU on 29–31 May 1996. The report of the group was presented to PCOM for its August 1996 Meeting. Three of their proposals for drilling are included in the FY 98 Prospectus of proposals, which the thematic panels ranked at their October 1996 meetings.

PCOM Consensus 96-1-19

PCOM requests that ODP/TAMU investigate the use of differential GPS on board the JOIDES Resolution.

Action: A presentation was made to PCOM (August) on the options, costs and implications of such an acquisition. As a result dGPS will be available for Leg 174A (New Jersey Shelf).

August 1996

PCOM Consensus 96-2-7

PCOM expresses its enthusiasm for industrial company consortium plans to design and build a deep ’riserless’ drilling system that could provide pressure control and return flow for a deep hole drilled below at least 4 km water depth. PCOM asks JOI to continue to seek ways and means by which ODP interests could join at least the feasibility phase of this consortium, so that consideration of incorporating such a system is part of future ODP drilling plans.

Action: ODP/TAMU has been invited to join the consortium by simply signing a confidentiality agreement. Sufficient parties are already interested to fully fund the project. ODP/TAMU’s value to the consortium lies with its potential to test prototype equipment onboard the JOIDES Resolution in deep water. A working group meeting will be held in Houston on 19 and 20 December 1996 to begin work on Phase 1 of the project (conceptual evaluation).

PCOM Motion 96-2-8

The contents of the FY98 Prospectus and initial long-term Planning Prospectus to be considered for Thematic Panel ranking shall include the following proposals and programs:

79 Somali Basin, 367 GAB Cenozoic Carbonates, 431 W Pacific Seismic Network, 441 SW Pacific Gateway, 445 Nankai, 447 Woodlark Basin, 450 Taiwan Arc, 451 Tonga Forearc, 457 Kerguelen LIP, 464 S Southern Ocean Paleoceanography, 472 Izu-Marina, 485 Australia-Antarctic Southern Gateway Antarctic DPG 1, 2, 3

Additional programs may be considered by the panels at their discretion. A DCS/LWD Engineering Leg is also to be considered by PCOM for scheduling. The panels and TEDCOM are asked to comment on this proposal, which is included for information in the prospectus.

Action: As soon as the formal schedule is identified ODP/TAMU will begin Project B activities for those legs chosen.

PCOM Motion 96-2-9

PCOM reaffirms its intent in PCOM motion 96-1-13 to continue, for the immediate future, to publish the basic information of ODP in both text (hard copy) and electronic formats in order to achieve and display this information in the most certain and visible manners available to us at present. However, PCOM also agrees with the general philosophy that publication technology is moving towards universally compatible electronic formats.

Publication of the basic information in this format in an Initial Reports volume will consist of the site summaries, operations reports, site chapters, one scientific overview authored by the co-chiefs, and a guide to electronic usage.

Other items specified in 96-1-13 for electronic publication, section 3 B (e.g. core descriptions, VCDs, etc.), will remain in electronic-only format and will be published 12 to 18 months post-cruise.

PCOM acknowledges the need for additional cost savings over the original form of motion 96-1-13 and therefore proposes that the Scientific Results volume consisting of scientific papers, texts of data reports, and abstracts of papers published outside of ODP, be published in electronic format only, starting with Leg 169. Electronic publication of the Scientific Results volume should be 48 months post-cruise. The publication of the Initial Reports volume, 12–18 months post-cruise, in text form will alleviate the need for an initial core description volume as described in 96-1-13, section 5, and this will achieve further cost savings.

ODP/TAMU must continue to re-evaluate its publication options as technology and scientific community attitudes evolve, but should continue to publish the Initial Reports volume in both text and electronic formats for the immediate future. The issue of moving to electronic-only publication of the Initial Reports volumes should be continuously reviewed by the JOI Publications Steering Committee and SciCom.

Action: See Implementation of Publications Changes.

PCOM recommendations to EXCOM

PCOM Motion 96-2-3

PCOM recommends to EXCOM the proposed new advisory structure with wording modified from the version of July 24, 1996 (attached). Under JOIDES Service Panels, the mandate for the new Scientific Measurements Panel will be refined by a sub-committee formed of the present chairs of IHP, DMP, and SMP, plus the following PCOM members: Brown (SMP liaison), Moore (DMP liaison), Suyehiro (Japan), Humphris (PCOM chair-elect) and Sager (IHP liaison and chair of sub-committee). This group shall meet at College Station in November 1996. Any revisions to the mandate will be approved by PCOM through e-mail review.

PCOM Motion 96-2-4

PCOM requests that EXCOM approve the proposed new JOIDES advisory structure before the December PCOM meeting.

PCOM Motion 96-2-5

PCOM recommends that EXCOM approve the attached implementation timetable for the new JOIDES advisory structure, modified slightly from the version of July 24, 1996. The principal revision is that an interim joint SSEP, comprised of two members each from the current thematic panels, shall meet in January, 1997 to initiate proposal mail review.

PCOM Motion 96-2-6

PCOM directs each thematic panel to recommend four of its members to serve on an interim Scientific Steering and Evaluation Committee to meet once, in January, 1997. The panel is to specify which of the proposals received and current as of January 1, 1997, should be sent out for mail reviews, based on guidelines which PCOM will establish at its meeting in December, 1996. The reviews need to be completed in time for the an initial meeting of the new Interior and Environment SSEPs in May 1997.