Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 82--Sale Preparation and Subsequent Cancellation

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the recent Outer Continental Shelf lease sale number 82 which was cancelled when no industry bids were received and discussed why: (1) the companies that expressed interest in the offshore sale areas did not bid on the tracts offered; and (2) the Department of the Interior offered to lease certain tracts that Massachusetts believed were environmentally sensitive and had requested be deleted from the sale. There were also concerns regarding the costs incurred in holding the sale and the implications of this experience for Interior's lease program.