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BOEM seeks public comment on new OCS oil and gas leasing program
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The U.S. Department of the Interior said April 29 that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would request information and comments on the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, beginning with publishing the request for information and comments in the Federal Register April 30.
(See map in the online issue PDF)
Interior said the public comment period would be from April 30 through June 16 at 11:59 p.m. eastern time, with comments to be accepted via www.regulations.gov/docket/BOEM-2025-0015 or by U.S. mail.
A map shows Alaska planning areas covering the state's entire coastline, with a new "High Arctic" planning area north of the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea planning areas off the North Slope.
Starting off Southeast Alaska the planning areas are Gulf of Alaska, Kodiak, Shumagin, Aleutian Arc, Cook Inlet, North Aleutian Basin, St. George Basin, Bowers Basin, Aleutian Basin, Navarin Basin, St. Mathew Hall, Norton Basin and Hope Basin, with the Chukchi and Beaufort sea planning areas in the north and a new planning area, the High Arctic, bordering those planning areas and extending north.
Revision of OCS planning areas There are two relevant April 30 Federal Register notices.
In one, Interior's BOEM said OCS planning areas have been revised to address jurisdictional changes since the agency last established the subdivisions, resulting in the addition of a 27th planning area, the "High Arctic" off northern Alaska.
The changes are a result of updated information on the outer limits of the U.S. continental shelf provided by the U.S. Department of State in the Federal Register on Dec. 21, 2023.
"The boundaries of the OCS Regions now extend from the Submerged Lands Act boundary to the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 miles, or, as appropriate, to the 200-nautical-mile (nm) limit, Treaty Boundary, or Territorial Sea limit, depending on location," BOEM said in its Federal Register notice.
Total OCS acreage in Alaska planning areas is now 1,047.17 million acres, including the new High Arctic area at 109.14 million acres.
11th National OCS Program In the April 30 Federal Register notice on its leasing program, BOEM said the 11th program, once preparation is complete, will replace the 10th program.
Information is requested on all 27 planning areas, including those "restricted from leasing by Presidential withdrawal or Congressional moratorium," the agency said.
"An area that is currently unavailable for leasing could still be part of a National OCS Program, but could not be offered for sale until Congress and/or the President, as applicable, makes it available," BOEM said.
Alaska OCS The current leasing program, the 10th, does not include any lease sales in the Alaska Region.
BOEM said that in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea planning areas it "assesses a mean volume of 29.88 BBOE and 8.61 BBOE, respectively, of undiscovered oil and gas resource potential."
Three leases are active in the Beaufort Sea planning area, all producing hydrocarbons, the agency said, with eight active leases in the Cook Inlet planning area, none producing hydrocarbons.
The Beaufort Sea leases are at Northstar. The Cook Inlet leases are held by Hilcorp Alaska.
--KRISTEN NELSON
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