BOEM Prepares Environmental Impact Statement for Outer Continental Shelf Leasing

On October 2, 2023, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a notice of its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), analyzing the impact of a representative oil and gas lease in the Gulf of Mexico's (GOM) Regional Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 

The Proposed Action evaluated in this PEIS is to hold an oil and gas lease sale on the U.S. GOM OCS. BOEM expects to use this PEIS to inform the decision for the first GOM lease sale proposed in the 2024–2029 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. It also is expected to be used (and supplemented as appropriate) for decisions on future proposed GOM lease sales. In this PEIS, BOEM will analyze four alternatives: a no action alternative and three action alternatives. Because this PEIS analyzes a representative lease sale, Alternative A (No Action) is the cancellation of a single proposed GOM lease sale.

BOEM's notice acknowledges that, while oil from the GOM OCS contributes to meeting domestic demand, climate changed caused by the combustion of oil and natural gas from the GOM OCS poses a significant global threat. BOEM also notes that offshore oil and gas leasing may conflict with the long-term GHG-reduction goals of the Biden Administration. Nevertheless, BOEM notes that, under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Congress directed that the Secretary of the Interior must hold an offshore oil and gas lease sale(s) totaling 60 million acres in the year prior to issuing any wind energy leases.

BOEM is accepting comments on this notice of intent until November 1, 2023. 

After the draft PEIS is completed, the Environmental Protection Agency will publish a notice of availability (NOA). BOEM will request public comments on the draft PEIS through its own NOA for the draft PEIS. BOEM currently expects both NOAs for the draft PEIS to be published in summer 2024.