MMS Begins Planning Process to Conduct Eastern Gulf Lease Sale 181
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) is beginning a three-year planning process for conducting a Federal natural gas and oil lease sale in Federal waters in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. The first step in this process is the Call for Interest and Information (Call) and the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Lease Sale 181, 15 miles offshore Alabama and 100 or more miles offshore Florida. Sale 181, tentatively scheduled for December 2001, is an area identified as available for leasing in the 1997-2002 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas five-year Leasing Program.
Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 174 Attracts $94.6 Million in High Bids
A Federal offshore natural gas and oil lease sale in the Western Gulf of Mexico received $94.7 million in high bids. The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) received 177 bids totaling $104.2 million at the sale held in New Orleans. The 41 participating companies bid on 153 tracts in the Western Gulf of Mexico, offshore Texas and in deeper waters offshore Louisiana. "The results of the sale are about what we expected," said MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Chris Oynes. "It is reflective of the large inventory of tracts already under lease. MMS officials said 86 tracts receiving bids are in water depths of 656 ft. or more. The highest bid on a tract was $11.3 million, submitted by Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corporation for NG15-02 Garden Banks 877.
