Interior Secretary proposed 73-million acre lease sale for Gulf of Mexico

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March 6, 2017

The Department of the Interior (DOI) will offer 73 million acres, including all available areas in the Gulf of Mexico, for oil and gas exploration and development, according to an announcement from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on March 6. The proposed lease sale is scheduled for August 16.

As of March 1, 2017, there are about 16.9 million acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf that are under lease for oil and gas development, with over 97 percent of these leases in the Gulf.

Lease Sale 249 will be the first of ten region-wide lease sales under the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022 (Five Year Program).

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior