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2018 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition

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Development of the 2019-2024 National Oil and Gas Leasing Program on the United States Outer Continental Shelf

Abstract

In the United States, management of the oil and gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is governed by the OCS Lands Act, which sets forth procedures for leasing, exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources. The OCS Lands Act calls for the preparation of a nationwide OCS oil and gas leasing program with a five-year schedule of lease sales designed to best meet the Nation’s energy needs. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the U.S. Department of the Interior is responsible for implementing the requirements of the OCS Lands Act related to preparing the leasing program. BOEM is in the process of preparing a national OCS oil and gas leasing program (generally referred to as the National Program) for 2019–2024 to replace the current 2017–2022 National Program. In the Draft Proposed Program (DPP) document for 2019-2024, BOEM describes a schedule of 47 lease sales that cover all four regions of the U.S. OCS: 19 lease sales in the Alaska Region, seven sales in the Pacific, 12 sales in the Gulf of Mexico, and nine sales in the Atlantic. The DPP would make more than 90 percent of the OCS acreage available to consider for oil and gas leasing during the 2019–2024 period. Additionally, the DPP would make more than 98 percent of the undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources on the OCS available for leasing. This DPP is the first in a series of three preliminary proposals made by the Secretary of the Interior consistent with the OCS Lands Act, before he may take final action to approve a 2019–2024 Program. The OCS Lands Act also requires the Secretary to consider nominations of areas to be excluded from leasing. Inclusion of an area at the DPP phase is not a final indication that it will be included in the approved 2019–2024 Program or offered in a lease sale, as decision points still remain for reducing or completely removing an area or sale. However, any area or sale that is not included in this DPP stage will not be further considered. The OCS Lands Act requires that the Secretary of the Interior consider eight factors in the development of a National OCS Program, including geographical, geological, and ecological characteristics; equitable sharing; regional and national energy markets; other uses of the OCS; Industry interest; laws, goals, and policies of affected states; environmental sensitivity and marine productivity; and environmental and predictive information.