NEW ORLEANS — The Marine Minerals Administration today announced the availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for the fourth offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of America under the Working Families Tax Cut Act. The proposed lease sale, known as Big Beautiful Gulf 4, or BBG4, advances President Trump’s promise to Unleash American Energy.
Lease Sale BBG4 proposes to offer approximately 15,104 unleased blocks covering 80.4 million acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of America.
The Proposed Notice of Sale also includes lease stipulations, terms and conditions, minimum bids, and rental rates. To encourage strong industry participation and support investment in domestic energy production, the proposed terms include a 12.5% royalty rate.
“BBG4 continues our commitment to a predictable sale schedule that supports industry investment in the Gulf of America and U.S. Energy Dominance,” said Marine Minerals Administration Acting Director Mike Olsen. “Domestic energy production is vital to U.S. economic strength, supporting good paying jobs and affordable energy for American consumers.”
The Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf spans approximately 160 million acres and is estimated to contain 26.90 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and 45.59 trillion cubic feet of gas.
The Working Families Tax Cut Act requires the Marine Minerals Administration to hold at least 30 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of America through 2040. The Marine Minerals Administration successfully held the first three sales mandated by the legislation in the Gulf of America in 2025 and 2026, generating $430 million in high bids between the three sales.
The Proposed Notice of Sale will publish in the Federal Register on Oct. 9, 2026. This step begins a 60-day comment period for affected state governors and local governments. The Marine Minerals Administration will consider those comments before issuing a Final Notice of Sale that will be published at least 30 days before the scheduled bid opening in March 2027.
More details, maps and instructions are available at https://www.boem.gov/sale-BBG4.
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As of July 10, 2026, the Department of the Interior has reunified the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement into the Marine Minerals Administration, which will oversee the responsible development of the nation’s offshore energy and marine mineral resources with an integrated focus on safety, environmental protection and efficient oversight. For more information, visit https://www.doi.gov/mma-reunification.