The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced a Draft Proposed Program (DPP), a draft strategy on the development of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022. The DPP includes 14 potential lease sales in eight planning areas: 10 sales in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and one in a portion of the Mid- and South Atlantic. Two annual lease sales in the Western, Central, and the portion of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico that is not subject to Congressional moratoria have been proposed. In Alaska, the draft proposal proposes one sale each in the Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Cook Inlet areas. Finally, one potential lease sale could concern a portion of the Mid- and South Atlantic OCS, which includes areas offshore Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia. No lease was proposed off the Pacific coast, as states along this coast are opposed to offshore oil and gas developments.
In 2013, OCS oil and gas leases accounted for about 18% of domestic oil production and 5% of domestic natural gas production.
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