US Interior Department sets offshore oil and gas leasing schedule
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has rolled out a long-term schedule for offshore oil and gas lease sales for what it describes as the “Gulf of America” and Alaska’s Cook Inlet, as directed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).
By committing to a predictable sale schedule, the DOI says that it is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand American energy production and strengthen US energy independence.
The DOI says that the inclusion of at least 30 lease sales in the “Gulf of America” underscores the region’s indispensable role in the nation’s energy ecosystem, since it accounts for roughly 14–15% of US crude oil production, and serves “as the linchpin of offshore energy output.”
The Interior Department says that these scheduled lease sales offer the oil and gas sector “much-needed clarity and stability, encouraging continued investment in deepwater infrastructure, which is foundational to national energy resilience.”
“The Gulf supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, contributes tens of billions to GDP annually and generates substantial federal and state revenues. The economic and energy-security gains from these sales are both immediate and long-lasting,” the DOI statement said.
The department also noted that Alaska “plays a vital role in America’s energy future,” and the Cook Inlet, along Alaska’s south-central coast near Anchorage, “is at the center of that opportunity.” By including six lease sales in Cook Inlet through 2032, the DOI says that the plan “ensures that Alaskans benefit from new jobs, stronger local economies and long-term investment in their communities…Responsible development in Cook Inlet will help reduce reliance on foreign imports while supporting the state’s decades-long tradition of powering America with reliable, homegrown energy.”
The first sale under the new law — the “Gulf of America” lease sale now entitled “Big Beautiful Gulf 1” — is set for Dec. 10, 2025. It was previously labeled as Lease Sale 262. The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish the final notice at least 30 days before the sale.
The schedule differs from the ordinary Five-Year Plan for leasing because it is Congressionally mandated under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and therefore not subject to the preferences of different presidential administrations and changing policy preferences.
The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) reported Aug. 19 that it supports the Trump administration and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for publishing a non-discretionary schedule of at least 30 offshore lease sales through 2040 for the "Gulf of America" and Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
“This schedule of predictable offshore oil and gas leases for the Gulf and Alaska is a welcome return to the regulatory certainty required to maximize and foster investment in American energy. ...This schedule removes the risk of political whim from what should be a stable, apolitical process that benefits Americans.”
—Kaitlin Hammons, Vice President, CEA
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Erik Milito also issued a statement after the DOI released the new offshore leasing schedule:
“Today’s announcement restores the stability needed to keep America’s offshore energy future strong. A clear, long-term schedule of lease sales in the Gulf of America and Alaska’s Cook Inlet gives companies the certainty to invest, sustaining jobs and strengthening US energy security. This leasing schedule reaches far beyond the Gulf coast. Offshore energy supports workers and supply chains in every state, while revenues fund programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund delivering resources to every county in every state in America. With this schedule in place, the Gulf of America will continue to anchor our economy, bolster national security, and support communities across all 50 states.”
—Erik Milito, President, NOIA
Following the Dec. 10 lease sale, the “Gulf of America” is set for lease sales in March and August through March 2040. The first Cook Inlet lease sale is due in March 2026, with at least five more scheduled through March 2032.
BOEM is still working on a new Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, as the Five-Year planning process is formally known.
More information on BOEM’s leasing process is available at boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing.
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.