The proposed sale will be the fifth offshore sale under the US Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022.
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is planning to offer 77.8 million acres in lease sale for oil and gas exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico.
Slated to take place in August 2019, the proposed Lease Sale 253 will be the fifth offshore sale under the US Administration’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022.
The latest oil and gas lease sale will include approximately 14,585 unleased blocks
According to the BOEM, the latest sale will include approximately 14,585 unleased blocks, located from three to 231 miles offshore, in the Gulf’s Western, Central and Eastern planning areas.
The blocks are located in water depths ranging from nine to more than 11,115ft in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said: “The Trump administration is laser focused on developing our domestic offshore oil and gas resources in an environmentally conscious manner, and the Gulf of Mexico is front and center for that development.
“The expansion of America’s energy sector has been a major economic driver for the American people in keeping energy prices low. Our work in the Gulf of Mexico to ensure America leads the world in energy production is paramount.”
The Lease Sale 253, however, excludes blocks that are subject to the congressional moratorium established by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; and blocks adjacent to or beyond the US Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap.
It also excludes whole blocks and partial blocks within the current boundaries of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
BOEM Gulf of Mexico regional director Mike Celata said: “This lease sale is a critical part of BOEM’s multi-faceted effort to secure our nation’s energy future.
“Environmentally responsible exploration and development of the Gulf’s vital energy resources continues to help power our nation and drive our economy.”
According to estimates, the Gulf of Mexico OCS contains about 48 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 141 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered technically recoverable gas.
