Overview
- The Interior Department directed BOEM to pursue up to 34 offshore lease sales covering about 1.27 billion acres from 2026 to 2031, including areas off California, Alaska and parts of the rebranded Gulf of America.
- Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, urged the administration to honor Trump’s 2020 moratorium protecting the eastern Gulf used for Pentagon test and training ranges.
- California leaders unified in opposition, with Gov. Gavin Newsom vowing courtroom challenges to any new Pacific leasing, including a reported schedule of six California sales between 2027 and 2030.
- Industry groups such as API and NOIA praised the proposal as a path to energy security and future revenues, while environmental organizations pledged lawsuits and public campaigns to block leasing.
- The program remains a draft with public comments open as of Nov. 24, and analysts note uncertain company appetite for costly frontier projects given current oil prices and limited infrastructure in some regions.