(The Center Square) – Reversing Biden administration policies, the Trump administration continues to move forward with lease sale schedules for offshore oil and natural gas production.
In a series of announcements, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released an oil and natural gas lease sale schedule for the Gulf of America Regional Outer Continental Shelf and Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
The schedule follows directives stipulated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Donald Trump as well as several executive orders he issued.
It includes at least 30 lease sales in the Gulf of America beginning Dec. 10 and at least six lease sales in Cook Inlet beginning next March.
Gulf of America
In the Gulf of America, the BOEM manages nearly 3.2 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf – an area larger than the total land acreage of the United States.
In fiscal 2024, offshore operators in the Gulf produced 667.5 million barrels of oil, roughly 14% of total U.S. production.
The Outer Continental Shelf spans approximately 160 million acres in the Gulf. It’s estimated to contain roughly 48 billion barrels of undiscovered, recoverable oil and 141 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the BOEM says.
“These scheduled sales offer the oil and gas sector much-needed clarity and stability, encouraging continued investment in deepwater infrastructure, which is foundational to national energy resilience,” the Interior Department says. “The Gulf supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, contributes tens of billions to GDP annually and generates substantial federal and state revenues. The economic and energy-security gains from these sales are both immediate and long-lasting.”
The first sale, Lease Sale 262, will offer approximately 15,000 unleased blocks located 3 to 231 miles offshore across the Gulf’s western, central and eastern planning areas – spanning roughly 80 million acres. The blocks are located in water depths ranging from 9 feet to more than 11,100 feet (3 to 3,400 meters), the BOEM says.
The December sale is the first of three planned lease sales in the Gulf under the 2024–2029 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
At least 30 lease sales in the Gulf are slated through 2040, scheduled in March and August each year.
Leases will only be awarded for oil and gas exploration and development with some areas excluded from the sale near an economic zone in the northern portion of the Eastern Gap, and near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the BOEM says.
The BOEM is proposing a royalty rate of 16⅔ for shallow and deepwater leases, “the lowest rate for deepwater since 2007,” BOEM Acting Regional Director for the Gulf of America, Laura Robbins, said. This in order “to support robust industry participation, lower production costs, and unleash the full potential of the Gulf of America’s offshore energy reserves,” she said.
The BOEM also recently published an environmental impact statement for lease sales in the Gulf. It reveals the administration’s “commitment to transparency, environmental compliance, and providing greater certainty for American energy producers,” supports future proposed Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities, addresses issues identified from recent litigation, helps streamline future approvals and reduce delays, among other measures, Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona said.
Alaska’s Cook Inlet
In Alaska’s Cook Inlet, at six lease sales are scheduled, with the first slated for March 2026. Subsequent sales are scheduled once a year in March in 2027, 2028, 2030, 2031 and 2032.
“Alaska plays a vital role in America’s energy future, and Cook Inlet, along Alaska’s south-central coast near Anchorage, is at the center of that opportunity,” the Interior Department says. The lease sales will ensure that “Alaskans benefit from new jobs, stronger local economies and long-term investment in their communities,” it says. It also notes “Alaska’s unique position as both a strategic energy hub and a gateway to the Arctic makes it essential to U.S. energy security.”
“The predictable schedule meets the law’s requirements while advancing the Trump administration’s priorities of growing the economy, reducing dependence on foreign energy and keeping America a global energy leader,” the agency says.
The announcements stem from requirements within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as well as from Trump’s executive orders: Unleashing American Energy, Declaring a National Energy Emergency, and Unleashing American Energy and Addressing the National Energy Emergency.
