Issues in Leasing Offshore Lands for Oil and Gas Development
Highlights
Up to 60 percent of the nation's undiscovered oil and gas resources are believed to be contained in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Over the past 10 years, Congress and three administrations have attempted to accelerate the leasing of these areas for oil and gas exploration and development. OCS leasing and development increased significantly during the 1970-80 period. The number of sales increased by more than 50 percent, and sales were held for the first time in seven new OCS frontier areas. These increases were achieved during a time when sales were continuously delayed by lawsuits. However, the planned goals of the 1970's were never achieved, only about 60 percent of the planned sales were held, the amount of land leased was only a small fraction of what was planned, and nine frontier areas were not opened for leasing.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status Sort descending |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should continue to seek ways to streamline the leasing process with special emphasis on reducing the amount of time needed to plan for second and follow-on sales in a lease area, particularly the time needed to comply with environmental impact statement requirements. |
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should reexamine the justification and rationale for the withdrawal of the 25 million acres of offshore lands currently not available for lease. The resource potential of these lands should be reexamined and reweighed against the reasons for exclusion to see if any additional high potential lands could now be made available for lease. |
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should direct the United States Geological Survey to intensify its efforts to define more precisely the portions of the OCS that are potentially attractive for leasing. This action should lead to increased leasing in those specific areas within OCS regions where oil and gas resources are thought to be located. |
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should identify and examine alternatives for leasing more of the tracts offered in lease sales. |
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
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| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should take appropriate steps to ensure that sales scheduled under the present program are held as planned, thus giving a greater degree of credibility to the OCS leasing program. |
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
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