Overview
The Atlantic OCS area is divided into four planning areas along the Atlantic seaboard: the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and the Straits of Florida. A total of 433 blocks were leased in the 10 lease sales that occurred in the Atlantic OCS area and 49 exploratory wells and 5 Continental Offshore Strategic Test (COST) wells were drilled. At present, there are no remaining oil and gas leases in the Atlantic area.
The North Atlantic Planning Area lies offshore the northeast part of the U.S. and extends from Maine to New Jersey. The area encompasses approximately 92.32 million acres of seafloor on the Federal OCS. Eight exploratory wells and two COST wells were drilled in this planning area. There are no active leases in this area.
The Mid-Atlantic Planning Area lies offshore the middle Atlantic States and extends from Delaware to North Carolina. The area encompasses approximately 112.83 million acres. The Mid-Atlantic has had the most lease sales (5), the largest number of leases awarded (238), and the most wells drilled (32 exploratory, 2 COST). There are no active leases in this area.
The South Atlantic Planning Area lies offshore the southern Atlantic States and extends from South Carolina to Florida. The area encompasses approximately 54.34 million acres. Of the 109 blocks leased, none remains active. Six exploratory wells and one COST well were drilled in this planning area. There are no active leases in this area.
The Straits of Florida Planning Area lies offshore Florida and encompasses approximately 9.64 million acres. The only lease sale held in this area, Sale #5, was held in 1959. Of the 80 tracts offered, 23 were leased, each receiving one bid each. This resulted in $1.7 million received in total bonus high bids. In 1960, three exploratory wells were drilled in the vicinity of the Dry Tortugas. There are no active leases in this area.
Lease Sale History of the Atlantic OCS
| Lease Sale No. | Sale date | Tracts offered | Acres offered1 | No. of bids rec'd | Tracts leased | Total Acres leased*/** | Total $ bonus leased tracts2 | Average $ bonus per acre 2,3 | Existing leases* | Exploratory wells drilled# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Atlantic | ||||||||||
| 42 | 12/18/79 | 116 | 660,409 | 189 | 63 | 358,671 | 816,516,546 | $2,227 | 0 | 8 |
| Subtotal | 116 | 660,409 | 189 | 63 | 358,671 | 816,516,546 | $2,227 | 0 | 8 | |
| Mid-Atlantic | ||||||||||
| 40 | 08/17/76 | 154 | 876,750 | 410 | 93 | 529,466 | 1,127,936,425 | $2,130 | 0 | 27 |
| 49 | 02/28/79 | 109 | 620,557 | 74 | 39 | 222,034 | 40,001,631 | $180 | 0 | 1 |
| 56* formerly South Atlantic | 08/04/81 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | 12/08/81 | 253 | 1,440,376 | 240 | 51 | 290,352 | 323,659,000 | $1,115 | 0 | 4 |
| RS-2 | 08/05/82 | 155 | 882,444 | 19 | 18 | 102,477 | 3,920,828 | $38 | 0 | 0 |
| 76 | 04/26/83 | 4,050 | 22,664,991 | 53 | 37 | 210,641 | 68,410,240 | $325 | 0 | 0 |
| 78* formerly South Atlantic | 07/26/83 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0* | 0 |
| Subtotal | 4,721 | 26,485,118 | 796 | 238 | 1,354,970 | 1,563,928,124 | $3,788 | 0 | 32 | |
| South Atlantic | ||||||||||
| 43 | 03/28/78 | 224 | 1,275,273 | 99 | 43 | 244,807 | 100,743,443 | $412 | 0 | 6 |
| RS-2* | 08/05/82 | 232 | 1,320,819 | 9 | 8 | 45,545 | 2,859,150 | $63 | 0 | 0 |
| 78* | 07/26/83 | 3,582 | 20,156,426 | 12 | 11 | 62,625 | 13,362,040 | $213 | 0* | 0 |
| Subtotal | 4,323 | 24,374,419 | 240 | 109 | 620,557 | 459,730,807 | $1,969 | 0* | 6 | |
| Straits of Florida** | ||||||||||
| 5 | 05/26/59 | 80 | 458,000 | 23 | 23 | 132,480 | 1,711,872 | $13 | 0 | 3 |
| Subtotal | 80 | 458,000 | 23 | 23 | 132,480 | 1,711,872 | $13 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total All Sales | 9,240 | 51,977,946 | 1,248 | 433 | 2,466,678 | 2,841,887,349 | $1,152 | 0 | 49# | |
1 Amounts are rounded to nearest acre.
2 Amounts are rounded to nearest dollar.
3 Sum of the total bonus for all sales divided by the total acreage of all blocks leased.
* On March 19,1982, the boundary between the Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Area changed from lat. 36 deg. 30 min. N. to lat. 35 deg. 00 min. N., resulting in 34 leases being shifted from the South to the Mid-Atlantic Planning Area and affecting previous data for OCS Lease Sales #56 and #78. For administrative purposes, lease sale information is not adjusted other than to show active leases and acreage amounts.
** The Straits of Florida was transferred to the Atlantic OCS Planning Area in 1985. At the time of Lease Sale #5 in 1959, the Straits of Florida was administratively considered part of the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
# Five COST wells were drilled in addition to the 49 exploratory wells listed above; four COST wells were drilled in the North and Mid-Atlantic lease areas (two in each area) and one COST well was drilled in the South Atlantic lease area