Norton approves MMS five-year OCS oil and gas lease program

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The Minerals Management Service said today that Department of the Interior Secretary Gale Norton has approved its five-year 2002-2007 program for oil and natural gas lease sales on the outer continental shelf.

The program schedules 20 lease sales in eight OCS planning areas in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska.

“The new program supports the president’s national energy policy and will help meet the future energy needs of our country in an environmentally sound manner,” said MMS Director Johnnie Burton.

Sales proposed for Alaska include three in the Beaufort Sea in 2003, 2005 and 2007; two in Cook Inlet in 2004and 2006; two in the Chukchi Sea in 2005 and 2007; and one interest-based sale in Norton Sound.

The first lease sale scheduled under the new program is Western Gulf of Mexico Sale 184, which is slated for August 21 in New Orleans. The first Alaska sale is the Beaufort Sea Sale 186 scheduled for 2003.