40M acres of oil and gas leases to go on block next year

UPDATED: Injured football player ‘responding’, but still in critical condition
September 30, 2015
Alfreda Richoux
October 6, 2015
UPDATED: Injured football player ‘responding’, but still in critical condition
September 30, 2015
Alfreda Richoux
October 6, 2015

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced that 40 million acres of oil and gas leases will be auctioned next year, as part of a sale package that will include all available unleased areas in the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico.


The Proposed Gulf of Mexico Central Planning Area Lease Sale 241 and Eastern Planning Area Lease Sale 226 are scheduled to take place in New Orleans in March, a statement from BOEM says.

The agency says these will be the ninth and tenth offshore sales under the Obama Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017.

The lease sales will include both deep water and shallow water sites.


“These sales build on the first eight sales in the current Five-Year Program, which have offered more than 60 million acres and netted nearly $3 billion for American taxpayers,” BOEM’s announcement says.

“As one of the most productive basins in the world, the Gulf of Mexico is a cornerstone of our domestic energy portfolio, offering vital oil and gas resources that further economic growth and continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said BOEM director Abigail Ross Hopper. “This lease sale is another important step in promoting responsible domestic energy production through the safe, environmentally sound development of the nation’s offshore energy resources, while ensuring a fair return to the American people.”

Proposed CPA Sale 241 will include approximately 7,986 blocks, covering 42.5 million acres, located from three to 230 nautical miles offshore, in water depths ranging from nine to more than 11,000 feet. BOEM estimates the proposed lease sale could result in the production of 460 to 894 million barrels of oil and 1.9 to 3.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.


Proposed Sale 226 will offer approximately 162 blocks, covering 595,475 acres. The blocks are located at least 125 statute miles offshore in water depths ranging from 2,657 feet to 10,213 feet . The area is bordered by the Central Planning Area boundary on the West and the Military Mission Line on the East. It is south of eastern Alabama and western Florida; the nearest point of land is 125 miles northwest in Louisiana. BOEM estimates that proposed lease sale could result in the production of 71 million barrels of oil and 162 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

“The sales’ fiscal terms will continue to ensure a fair return to taxpayers, and include conditions to encourage diligent development as well as ensure an appropriate balance of orderly resource development with protection of the human, marine and coastal environments,” the BOEM statement says.