Aug. 19 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday unveiled its long-term schedule for new Alaskan and Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas leases that are part of President Donald Trump‘s recently signed legislation called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
The first sale on December 10 will be the start to a minimum of 30 by March 2040 for the gulf and six sales by 2032 for Alaska’s Cook Inlet along Alaska’s south-central coast near Anchorage.
On Tuesday, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Trump administration was putting in place what he characterized as a “bold, long-term program that strengthens American energy dominance.”
The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” legislation was unanimously rejected by Democrats.
Data by October 2022 showed the Gulf of Mexico produced about 1.7 million barrels of oil per day compared to the 12 million bpd for the entire country.
Burgum added with Interior’s “predictable sale schedule” a goal to create “good-paying jobs and ensure we continue to responsibly develop our offshore resources,” he said in a statement.
The administration said Alaska plays a “vital” role in America’s energy future and argued sales will provide “much-needed clarity” in pursuit of “continued investment in deepwater infrastructure.”
It added that oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico supports “hundreds of thousands” of jobs, contributes tens of billions of dollars to the nation’s annual gross domestic product and generates “substantial” federal and state tax revenue.
The Interior Department claimed the economic and energy-security gains from the sales were “both immediate and long-lasting.”
“Every year, oil, gas, and mineral activity on public lands brings in billions through lease sales, rent and royalties,” the department argued Tuesday on social media.
It said those revenues support schools, roads, conservation projects and “essential public services in communities across the country.”
The White House announced in June a plan to open nearly 82% of fragile Alaskan landscape to oil and gas development, including some of its most ecologically sensitive areas.
According to the department, the Gulf of Mexico accounts for roughly 14-15% of U.S. crude oil production and serves as the “linchpin” of offshore energy output.
Interior officials added in its release that the inclusion of at least 30 finalized lease sales in the gulf underscored what they characterized as the region’s “indispensable role in America’s energy ecosystem.”
It added Cook Inlet along Alaska’s south-central coast was “at the center” of perceived economic opportunity.
“Alaska’s unique position as both a strategic energy hub and a gateway to the Arctic makes it essential to U.S. energy security,” according to U.S. Interior officials.
Alaska was at the forefront of Trump’s brief meeting last week in that state with Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two men discussed Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the department stated the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will publish the final notice at least 30 days before the sale.