The proposal presents a schedule for up to 34 lease agreements, covering over 500 million square kilometers. The proposed areas cover offshore areas of Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and the coast of California. The map describing the program includes some new additions that differ significantly from previous policy. The most striking is a new “high arctic” utilization area in the frozen Arctic Ocean, extending to approximately 80 degrees north latitude – a cold and hard-to-reach area visited only by icebreakers.
Moving south, the plan proposes resource utilization on all possible blocks off the Alaskan mainland and the Aleutian chain from border to border (excluding Bristol Bay). In the 2010s, international oil companies were very active in Alaska, e.g., Shell in the Chukchi Sea, employing Finnish icebreakers as well. Now the same waters would come up for new auctions. The first auctions would take place precisely in the northern Beaufort Sea as early as next year.
This partly explains why the Trump administration also wants icebreakers as quickly as possible. According to unofficial information, the administration is also seeking a “deal” through a peace treaty with Russia that would allow American oil companies to return to Russia’s Arctic and Arctic Ocean areas, from which they had to disengage due to sanctions.
On the US West Coast, the plan proposes three lease areas off California, with auctions for two of them starting in 2027. Political commentators have noted that the West Coast lease areas can be seen as Trump’s countermeasure against the Governor of California, who is a vocal opponent of the Trump administration.
In the Gulf of Mexico, the lease areas cover the western and central parts from Texas to Alabama, and these areas are routinely offered in auctions. Additionally, for the first time in years, the US Department of the Interior intends to offer lease areas off Florida as well. This has been consistently opposed by the state’s Republican governor and its congressional delegation. The Atlantic waters off the southeastern United States, where Republican-led state governments oppose oil and gas exploration, are excluded from the plan.
The new lease plan has received positive evaluations from the offshore industry, which benefits from the faster pace of auctions and the broader geographical scope.
– After years of delays in federal programs, this is a historic step towards unlocking the nation’s vast offshore resources,” says Mike Sommers, President of the American Petroleum Institute.
– We support Secretary Doug Burgum’s establishment of a new and broader five-year program, which opens opportunities for long-term offshore investments and supports energy affordability during a period of growing demand both domestically and abroad.
– While the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico remain key investment and energy production areas, a forward-looking and new area-oriented approach ensures US competitiveness and security in meeting future energy needs,” says Erik Milito, President of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA). – Energy demand is growing, and America’s own offshore areas are a great opportunity for US competitiveness and leadership.
Environmental organizations have given the new program a critical assessment.
– Trump’s plan would endanger the health and well-being of millions of people living on our coasts. It would also destroy countless marine ecosystems on which both people and wildlife depend. This administration continues to place the oil industry above people, our shared environment, and the law, says Earthjustice senior attorney Brettny Hardy according to Maritime Executive.
Text Mikko Niini
