The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has launched a directive to replace the current 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for a more expansive program (US DOI press release, 20/11/2025). The “Unleashing American Offshore Energy” directive orders the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to install an expansive national offshore oil and gas program replacing the previous administration’s plan (2024-2029).
The 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2026–2031) is expected to boost the US “energy independence and sustain domestic oil and gas production” by proposing 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing Outer Continental Shelf planning areas and an additional new planning area in the South-Central Gulf of Mexico.
According to the US DOI, the BOEM manages 2,073 active offshore oil and gas leases (as of September 2025), with offshore production accounting for about 15% of the country’s domestic oil input.
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