Obama Admin. Announce 21 Million Acre Oil and Gas Lease Sale

August Auction to offer all Unleased Acreage in Western Gulf of Mexico

 
As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand domestic energy production, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau announced that Interior will offer more than 21 million acres offshore Texas for oil and gas exploration and development in a lease sale that will include all available unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.

 
Proposed Lease Sale 233, scheduled to take place in New Orleans in August, will be the third offshore auction under the Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (Five Year Program).  The sale builds on the first two auctions in the current Five Year Program – a 39-million-acre sale held in March, which attracted more than $1.2 billion in high bids and a 20- million-acre sale held last November that netted nearly $134 million.  
 

“The Gulf of Mexico is a cornerstone of the United States’ energy portfolio,” said Secretary Jewell. “This proposed lease sale reflects President Obama’s continued commitment to safely and responsibly develop our domestic energy resources to help create jobs, foster economic opportunities and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.”

 
Domestic oil and gas production has grown each year President Obama has been in office, with domestic oil production currently higher than any time in two decades; natural gas production at its highest level ever; and renewable electricity generation from wind, solar, and geothermal sources having doubled. Combined with recent declines in oil consumption, foreign oil imports now account for less than 40 percent of the oil consumed in America – the lowest level since 1988.

 
Lease Sale 233 will include 3,953 blocks, covering about 21.1 million acres, located from nine to 250 miles offshore, in water depths ranging from 16 to more than 10,975 feet (5 to 3,346 meters).  BOEM estimates the proposed sale could result in the production of 116 to 200 million barrels of oil and 538 to 938 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

 
The decision to move forward with plans for this auction follows extensive environmental analysis, public comment, and consideration of the best scientific information available. BOEM published a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to update the environmental analysis completed for proposed Lease Sale 233 and other Western and Central Gulf of Mexico lease sales scheduled under the current Five Year Program. The assessments can be found on the web at: http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx.

 
“This proposed sale is another important step to promote responsible domestic energy production through the safe, environmentally sound exploration and development of the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf energy resources,” said Beaudreau.  “We are advancing the Administration’s goal of continuing to safely increase vital oil and gas production, while encouraging diligent development and a fair return to taxpayers for these valuable public resources that belong to all Americans.”

 
The proposed terms of this sale include conditions to ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the human, marine and coastal environments. These include stipulations to protect biologically sensitive resources, mitigate potential adverse effects on protected species, and avoid potential conflicts associated with oil and gas development and other uses in the region.

 
BOEM’s proposed economic terms include the same range of incentives to encourage diligent development and ensure a fair return to taxpayers as used in previous sales, with one exception. The provision for deep gas royalty relief under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) will sunset on May 3, 2013, and, therefore, will not be offered.  Ultra-deep gas royalty relief required under EPAct will still be available.

 
The terms and conditions outlined for Sale 233 in the Proposed Notice of Sale are not final. Different terms and conditions may be employed in the Final Notice of Sale, which will be published at least 30 days before the sale. All terms and conditions for Western Sale 233 are detailed in the new streamlined, more user-friendly Proposed Notice of Sale information package, which is available at: http://www.boem.gov/Sale-233/. Copies can also be requested from the Gulf of Mexico Region’s Public Information Unit at 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70123, or at 800-200-GULF (4853).

 
The Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale is available today for inspection in the Federal Register at: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html.