Background
Every 5 years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is tasked with developing a management plan for U.S. offshore oil and gas resources. In 2014, the Obama Administration began drafting the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program. Initial drafts of this plan proposed opening areas of the Mid and South Atlantic to offshore oil and gas development. The plan was met with a groundswell of grassroots opposition up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The final 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program was completed by the Obama Administration in November of 2016 and ultimately removed the Atlantic from consideration for any oil and gas development, thanks in large part to the opposition voiced by coastal communities.
In spite of the two years of thorough research and evaluation that went into drafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program, President Trump directed the Department of Interior and BOEM to begin redrafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program through an Executive Order signed in April of 2017. The Trump Administration issued this directive in hopes of expanding offshore oil and gas development into the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, and new areas of the Gulf of Mexico as part of an "American First" energy program. The truth is, Americans along the U.S. East Coast and other coastal regions have already spoken and resoundingly said "No!" to offshore drilling. This plan is not an "American First" energy plan, it is an "Industry First" energy plan.
Every 5 years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is tasked with developing a management plan for U.S. offshore oil and gas resources. In 2014, the Obama Administration began drafting the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program. Initial drafts of this plan proposed opening areas of the Mid and South Atlantic to offshore oil and gas development. The plan was met with a groundswell of grassroots opposition up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The final 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program was completed by the Obama Administration in November of 2016 and ultimately removed the Atlantic from consideration for any oil and gas development, thanks in large part to the opposition voiced by coastal communities.
In spite of the two years of thorough research and evaluation that went into drafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program, President Trump directed the Department of Interior and BOEM to begin redrafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program through an Executive Order signed in April of 2017. The Trump Administration issued this directive in hopes of expanding offshore oil and gas development into the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, and new areas of the Gulf of Mexico as part of an "American First" energy program. The truth is, Americans along the U.S. East Coast and other coastal regions have already spoken and resoundingly said "No!" to offshore drilling. This plan is not an "American First" energy plan, it is an "Industry First" energy plan.
The Process For Drafting a New 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program
The process of creating a 5 Year Leasing Program is clearly laid out in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The process was specifically designed to provide a long-term strategic approach to exploration and development of the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas resources to best meet the nation’s energy needs.
If the Trump Administration follows through on redrafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program, it must follow the process detailed below. This process affords multiple opportunities for public input. ACT will be monitoring developments closely and will issue alerts both before and during comment periods.
The process of creating a 5 Year Leasing Program is clearly laid out in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The process was specifically designed to provide a long-term strategic approach to exploration and development of the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas resources to best meet the nation’s energy needs.
If the Trump Administration follows through on redrafting the 2017-2022 OCS Leasing Program, it must follow the process detailed below. This process affords multiple opportunities for public input. ACT will be monitoring developments closely and will issue alerts both before and during comment periods.
