The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has published has published a Proposed Notice of Sale for Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil & Gas Lease Sale 259. The Inflation Reduction Act directed BOEM to hold Lease Sale 259 by 31 March 2023. In addition, a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analysing the potential impacts of Cook Inlet OCS Oil & Gas Lease Sale 258 has been published.
The Final EIS identifies the preferred alternative, which would offer for lease 193 unleased OCS blocks (approximately 387,771 hectares or 958,202 acres). It defers the 17 OCS blocks wholly or partially overlapping beluga whale and northern sea otter critical habitats; and applies additional mitigation measures to reduce potential impacts to the beluga whales and their critical habitat and feeding areas, sea otters and their critical habitat, and the gillnet fishery. In the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress directed BOEM to hold Lease Sale 258 by the end of the year.