Interior Secretary Unveils New Program For More Offshore Drilling

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Tuesday that up to 15 new leases will be sold for offshore oil and gas exploration and development in the next 5 years. 

The Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 will make 12 leases available in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the coast of Alaska. According to a statement released by the Interior Department, the program is  part of President Obama’s plan “to expand safe and responsible domestic production.”

“This five-year program will make available for development more than three-quarters of undiscovered oil and gas resources estimated on the OCS, including frontier areas such as the Arctic, where we must proceed cautiously, safely and based on the best science available,” Salazar said.  

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy Beaudreau said that the program will serve as an example in the industry’s revamped safety standards and will take into ocnsideration the lessons learned from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. 

“The single sales are scheduled late in the program to facilitate further scientific study and data collection, and longer term planning for spill response preparedness and infrastructure,” the statement reads. “The proposal suggests that any lease sales in the Arctic be tailored to avoid sensitive environmental resources.” 

The program is the second in a series of three 5-year proposals that the Interior Secretary is required to prepare, according to the OCS Lands Act. It will soon be made available to the public for comment.