The Department of the Interior (DOI)’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday issued a five-year proposed program (PP) for offshore oil and gas lease sales during 2023-2028, although Interior Secretary Deb Haaland noted this does not necessarily mean lease sales will occur.

Offshore Production

DOI is calling for a maximum of 11 lease sales for the period, comprising 10 in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and one in the Cook Inlet off south-central Alaska.

This is a substantial reduction from BOEM’s previous draft proposed program (DPP), which was released in 2018 under the Trump administration but never finalized. Under Trump, BOEM proposed 47 lease sales, including in the GOM and numerous areas offshore Alaska, as well as the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The 11 potential lease sales...