The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, today announced the Gulf of America Regional Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales and Post-Lease Activities Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, a key milestone in advancing the Trump administration’s American Energy Dominance agenda. The notice of availability will publish in the Federal Register on August 29.
The environmental impact statement analyzes the potential impacts of a representative oil and gas lease sale and post-lease issuance activities in available areas of the Gulf of America. BOEM manages nearly 3.2 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf — an area larger than the nation’s total land acreage — which in fiscal year 2024 produced 667.5 million barrels of oil, representing about 14 percent of total U.S. production.
“Completing this programmatic environmental review ensures that we are making well-informed decisions about future oil and gas activities in the Gulf of America,” said Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona. “This analysis strengthens our commitment to transparency, environmental compliance, and providing greater certainty for American energy producers.”
The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement:
- Supports future proposed Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities;
- Addresses issues identified from recent litigation over decommissioning and Lease Sale 259; and
- Serves as a foundation for tiered environmental analyses for post-lease activities, helping streamline future approvals and reduce delays for American energy producers.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires Gulf of America lease sales on a structured timeline, consistent with the direction of Executive Orders 14154 Unleashing American Energy, 14156 Declaring a National Energy Emergency, Secretarial Orders 3418 Unleashing American Energy, and 3417 Addressing the National Energy Emergency. The law mandates at least 30 Gulf of America lease sales through 2040. The first sale under the new law, Gulf of America Lease Sale "Big Beautiful Gulf 1” (BBG1), is set for Dec.10, 2025. BOEM will publish the final notice at least 30 days before the sale.
Additional information can be found at https://www.boem.gov/environment/environmental-assessment/gulf-america-regional-ocs-oil-and-gas-programmatic.
-- BOEM --
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.