The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the availability of the draft programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) for the GOM regional oil and gas lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
This development is an important step in the process for future oil and gas leasing in the region.
In December 2023, the Ministry of the Interior published the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2024-2029.
The program includes three oil and gas lease sales in the GOM over the next five years, representing the fewest oil and gas lease sales over a five-year program in history.
The reduced number of oil and gas lease sales from previous programs is intended to allow the U.S. to meet its energy needs while advancing the clean energy transition.
The programmatic EIS will serve as the basis for deciding the GOM’s first oil and gas lease sale proposed in the lease program.
It is expected that it will also be used and supplemented where necessary in decisions regarding future proposed GOM lease sales.
In addition, EIS supports site- and activity-specific post-lease analysis and approvals related to OCS oil and gas.
The program does not include lease sales in Atlantic, Pacific and Alaskan waters.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, BOEM is prohibited from issuing a lease for offshore wind energy development unless at least 60 million acres have been offered for oil and gas leasing on the OCS in the previous year.
BOEM will make the final programmatic EIS public at least 30 days before issuing a decision.
The Notice of Availability will soon be published in the Federal Register, initiating a 45-day comment period.
“Advancing Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leasing Program” was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a brand owned by GlobalData.
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