The U.S. government is preparing to auction oil and gas drilling rights across nearly 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) next month and approximately one million acres in Alaska’s Cook Inlet for leasing in 2026, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Both actions fall under the requirements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), legislation signed by President Donald Trump in July, which mandates expanded offshore energy development across federal waters.
The Drilling Engineering List is a compiled directory of Drilling Engineers that work in the US, one of the most prolific oil and gas-producing regions in the world.
Gulf of Mexico: Big Beautiful Gulf 1
- Sale date: 10 December 2025
- Acreage offered: Nearly 80 million acres
- Mandated sales: 30 total GoM sales from 2025–2040
- Covered region: The Outer Continental Shelf, estimated by BOEM to contain
- 29.59 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil
- 54.84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas
- Royalty rate: 12.5% for shallow and deepwater—statutory minimum
- Exclusions:
- Areas withdrawn on 8 September 2020
- Zones within the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Alaska: Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 1
- Sale date: 4 March 2026
- Acreage offered: ~1 million acres
- Mandated sales: At least six Cook Inlet sales from 2026–2028 and 2030–2032
This marks the first of a series of congressionally mandated auctions intended to expand offshore development in Alaska.
Policy Context
The offshore leasing schedule aligns with the Trump administration’s stated direction of:
- Boosting domestic oil, gas, and coal production
- Rolling back fossil-fuel-related regulations
- Restricting subsidies for renewable energy
BOEM Statement
BOEM Acting Director Matt Giacona emphasized that the OBBA legislation provides a predictable long-term roadmap for offshore leasing:
“President Trump’s signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act marked the beginning of a new chapter for oil and gas development in the Gulf of America and Alaska’s Cook Inlet. The BOEM is now moving forward with a predictable, congressionally mandated leasing schedule that will support offshore oil and gas development for decades to come.”
