The US Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, has authorized a new federal oil and gas leasing program encompassing areas off the coasts of California and Alaska. This initiative replaces a previous administration's program that had protected large portions of the Outer Continental Shelf from development.
The proposed program schedules 34 potential lease sales across multiple planning areas, covering approximately 1.27 billion acres. It includes sales off the Alaska coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and along the Pacific coast, while also establishing a new administrative area called the South-Central Gulf of America. This plan marks the first potential offshore drilling near California in decades.
Secretary Burgum's authority to implement this program derives from the Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Act. The directive also aligns with legislative mandates for specific lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and near Alaska by a set deadline.
The proposed program schedules 34 potential lease sales across multiple planning areas, covering approximately 1.27 billion acres. It includes sales off the Alaska coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and along the Pacific coast, while also establishing a new administrative area called the South-Central Gulf of America. This plan marks the first potential offshore drilling near California in decades.
Secretary Burgum's authority to implement this program derives from the Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Act. The directive also aligns with legislative mandates for specific lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and near Alaska by a set deadline.
