Gas Lease Sales News

The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming. The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

The Biden administration on Friday unveiled a plan to phase down oil and gas auctions in federal waters with the release of a long-awaited leasing schedule that includes a maximum of three sales in the Gulf of Mexico through 2029.The Interior Department's plan includes by far the lowest number of sales since the agency began producing Congressionally-mandated five-year oil and gas leasing schedules in 1980. Previous programs have ranged between 11 and 41 sales, according to Interior's U.S.

The Biden administration's five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing will not include any sales in 2024 and will feature the lowest number of auctions in the history of the program in the four years to follow, according to three sources familiar with the matter.The schedule for leasing in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska for 2024-2028 is due on Friday following several delays and months of battling between environmentalists and drilling advocates over what the policy should…

The U.S. government on Friday received just a single bid, from Hilcorp Alaska, for oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska the first federal auction in the region in more than five years.The offer of nearly 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet was among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in President Joe Biden's signature climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Under the law, the Interior Department is required to hold the sale by Dec. 31.

The Biden administration on Thursday delayed the rollout of a proposed five-year offshore oil and gas development plan that had been promised by the end of the month, according to sources.Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland in May had vowed to unveil the draft proposal ahead of the June 30 expiration of the current plan. The department will not be able to hold any offshore oil and gas lease sales until a new plan is finalized.Briefings with officials meant to take place Thursday ahead of a public announcement were unexpectedly delayed, according to sources.

The Biden administration will propose a new five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development by June 30, the date when the current plan expires, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on Thursday.The announcement comes as the administration has faced pressure from Republican lawmakers to expand domestic drilling to address soaring fuel costs. President Joe Biden, however, wants to reform the federal government's oil and gas program to consider its impacts on climate change.Haaland testified before the Senate energy committee to answer questions on the administration's 2023 budget proposal…

Erik Milito, president of the U.S. National Ocean Industries Association, said this week that the U.S. government's decision not to hold offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet was expected, but also "devastating to Americans.""This decision is not surprising at all. As early as March 2020, then-candidate Biden made it clear that he would stop federal oil and gas development if elected. This was followed by additional formal campaign declarations…

The Biden administration on Wednesday said it would scrap three planned sales of offshore oil and gas leases in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.In a statement, the Department of Interior said it was not moving forward with an auction for drilling rights in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska "due to lack of industry interest in leasing in the area."It also said two sales in the Gulf of Mexico would be canceled due to "conflicting court rulings."The three sales were the last to be held under a 5-year plan for leasing in federal waters on the outer continental shelf.

The U.S. will hold a wind energy auction for two lease areas offshore the Carolinas on May 11, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Friday, as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its environmental review.The lease areas cover 110,091 acres in the Carolina Long Bay area that, if developed, could result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power nearly 500,000 homes, the Department of the Interior said."The Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting a robust clean energy economy…

U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp were among the top buyers at a federal auction of oil leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday that generated more than $190 million - the highest since 2019.The auction was a boon for federal coffers, but a potential setback for the climate policies of U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration tried to suspend federal lease sales to fight global warming before a court forced them to proceed.The United States was also…

The Biden administration's auction of oil drilling rights in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico generated more than $190 million in high bids, bringing in more money for taxpayers than any government offshore lease sale since early 2019.The Department of Interior auction came days after the U.S. joined a global agreement that for the first time asked governments to accelerate emissions cuts by phasing down coal and fossil fuel subsidies.It was the first auction under President Joe Biden, whose administration paused drilling sales under a promise to end development on federal properties.

The Biden administration on Wednesday will auction oil drilling rights to 80 million acres in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico days after joining a global agreement that for the first time targeted fossil fuels as the main driver of global warming.The sale by the Department of Interior will be the first under President Joe Biden, whose administration paused drilling sales under a promise to end development on federal properties. But Biden lost a court fight to oil-producing states that…

The Biden administration on Friday took a procedural step towards holding an auction for oil and gas drilling rights in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska next year.The move is the latest effort by the U.S. Department of Interior to comply with a court order to resume oil and gas lease sales that President Joe Biden paused shortly after taking office in January.The Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it would kick off a 45-day public comment period for the proposed sale's draft environmental analysis.

The Biden administration said on Tuesday it would take steps to restart the federal oil and gas leasing program in the next week and plans to hold a Gulf of Mexico auction as soon as October, court papers showed.The move comes two months after the U.S Interior Department first said it would comply with a June 15 federal judge's order blocking its months-long pause in oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.That order was a blow to a key White House effort to address climate change by reining in fossil fuel extraction.U.S.

NOIA President Randall Luthi released the following statement after providing testimony today before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on H.R. “NOIA applauds Congressman Graves and Ranking Member Lowenthal for their bipartisan sponsorship of the Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act and thanks the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee for holding today’s hearing. “Offshore energy development is a vital part of the U.S. economy, providing jobs, energy security and much needed government revenue. With that in mind, it is imperative that offshore lease sales remain a reliable, safe and transparent process.

“Historically, Central and Eastern Gulf of Mexico lease sales have drawn strong interest from industry; however, a combination of factors – continued low commodity prices, increased Federal regulation, and the Administration’s clear lack of support for domestic fossil fuel production – could result in rather small sales tomorrow, continuing the downward trend witnessed over the past few years. In this tough economic environment, we have seen a pattern of some companies submitting bids in an attempt to shore up existing production areas and pick up leases near known deposits, while others bet against the curve, and pick up some future important areas.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes to conduct 10 oil and gas lease sales in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), as outlined in the 2017-2022 Draft Proposed Leasing Program. BOEM published in the April 29, 2015, Federal Register, a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The NOI seeks input on the scope of the 2017-2022 GOM Multi-sale EIS for these ten proposed GOM Lease Sales. These sales will not be held unless they are included in the 2017-2022 Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. However, as some sales are tentatively scheduled to take place in 2017 and 2018, the BOEM must initiate preparation of the EIS before the 2017-2022 Five Year Program is finalized.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), announces the availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 226. The proposed CPA oil and gas lease sales are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016 and 2017, respectively, and the proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 is tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016 under the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program:  2012-2017.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is extending the public comment period for the Request for Information (RFI) and Comments on the Preparation of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The RFI was released in mid-June as the initial step in the multi-year offshore oil and gas planning process. This extension of the comment period is being issued in response to requests from several states. The bureau will allow an additional 15 days for the public to submit information and comments on its website or in writing. The June publication of the RFI began a 45-day comment period. With the extension, BOEM will accept comments until August 15.

The U.S. Department of the Interior took its first steps on Friday to develop the next five-year schedule of potential offshore oil and gas lease sales. Interior issued a request for information and comments on the oil and gas leasing program for U.S. coastal waters to run from 2017 to 2022, kicking off a 45-day comment period. The planning process for federal waters surrounding the United States known as the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) will take up to three years to complete, the agency said. "The development of the next five-year program will be a thorough and open process that incorporates stakeholder input and uses the best available science," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement. U.S.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for two proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico's Eastern Planning Area. "This analysis evaluates baseline conditions and potential environmental impacts of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development and production in the Eastern Planning Area, and updates information already published," said BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau. Lease Sales 225 and 226, scheduled for 2014 and 2016, are part of the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 (Five Year Program). The Five Year Program makes all areas with the highest-known resource potential available for oil and gas leasing.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is preparing a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) lease sales beginning with Lease Sale 235 in the Gulf of Mexico off the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Sale 235 is scheduled to be held in 2015. The study will also cover CPA lease sales 241 and 247, to be held in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The supplemental EIS will update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses completed in July 2012 and in April 2013. The supplemental EIS will consider possible new circumstances and information arising from, among other things, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil spill and response.

During the testimony today at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on offshore energy revenue sharing, National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) president Randall Luthi urged Congress to take the next step in enhancing America’s energy security, energy reliability and American jobs by increasing access to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for energy exploration and development. “Only by providing additional oil and natural gas lease sales in more of the OCS can this theoretical revenue sharing become reality. The two policies are inextricably linked – revenue sharing and access,” Luthi testified. The hearing focused specifically on the Fixing America’s Inequities with Revenues Act (FAIR Act).