Jan 23, 2026 Industry Comments on BOEM 11th National Draft Program
The American Petroleum Institute (“API”), National Ocean Industries Association (“NOIA”), Independent Petroleum Association of America (“IPAA”), U.S. Oil and Gas Association (“USOGA”), Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (“LMOGA”), American Exploration & Production Council (“AXPC”), International Association of Drilling Contractors (“IADC”), EnerGeo Alliance (“EnerGeo”), Energy Workforce & Technology Council (“EWTC”), and the Offshore Operators Committee (“OOC”) (“the Associations”) offer the following comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (“BOEM”) request for comments on the 11th National Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (“DPP” or “Draft Proposed Program”) published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2025. The Associations’ members have significant interest in ensuring that there are future opportunities for offshore oil and natural gas exploration and development in the United States (“U.S.”) so that the nation can capitalize on industry expertise that has been garnered through years of successful and beneficial exploration, development and production of domestic outer continental shelf (“OCS”) oil and natural gas resources.
We fully support keeping the Draft Proposed Program acreage as is with no additional areas being removed from future leasing consideration. Considerable acreage has already been excluded in the development of the Draft Proposed Program, particularly in the Atlantic. The decisions made regarding what areas are available for leasing provide opportunities, particularly in the South-Central Gulf of America planning area, will have beneficial long-term implications for our nation’s energy security, national security, prospects for job creation, and government revenue generation.
