Overview
- Internal draft documents show BOEM is weighing lease auctions across the Atlantic and Pacific, around Alaska, and in the Gulf of Mexico, with protected marine monuments remaining off-limits.
- Reporting indicates potential offerings off southern California and a small portion of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, while Florida waters remain excluded for now.
- The proposal would supplant the prior Biden-era schedule of three sales, with initial auctions targeted as early as 2026 and possible California sales in 2027.
- Opposition surfaced quickly from coastal Democrats and several Republicans, and at least eight East Coast states plus all three West Coast states have formally objected to inclusion.
- Interior has framed broad access as a response to a national energy emergency, though analysts note limited industry appetite beyond the Gulf and that Atlantic projects would require new seismic surveys and extended permitting.