On January 29, 2002, MMS announced the completion of the bid evaluation process for Lease Sale 181. The MMS awarded 95 lease totaling $340,474,113 in high bids. All 95 blocks were located in water depths greater than 1,600 meters (5,249 feet). The highest bid ($26 million) was submitted by Anadarko Petroleum for Lloyd Ridge Block 91.
Eastern Sale 181 was held on December 5, 2001. The area of Lease Sale 181 is in deepwater off Alabama and Louisiana. The area lies 100+ miles from any portion of the Florida coast; for example, its northern border is more than 100 miles from Pensacola, Florida, and the eastern edge is 285 miles from the shores of Tampa Bay.
The preleasing process for OCS Lease Sale 181 commenced on January 15, 1999, with the publication of a Call for Information/Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS in the Federal Register. The Area Identification for OCS Lease Sale 181 (i.e., what area was to be considered in the environmental impact statement) was announced on July 7, 1999. Scoping meetings were held in July 1999 at select sites located in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. The draft EIS was distributed to the general public on December 1, 2000 and public hearings were held at select Gulf Coast sites the week of January 8, 2001. The final EIS was made available to the public on July 3, 2001. The Coastal Zone Consistency Determination and Proposed Notice of Sale were released on July 12, 2001.