Gulf of America Lease Sales 259 and 261 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

On Jan. 9, 2023, BOEM announced it has prepared a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for two Gulf of America oil and gas lease sales: Lease Sales 259 and 261, which are being held pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act and inform the decisionmaker on impacts from a representative lease sale, mitigations, and other action alternatives. An errata sheet for the Final Supplemental EIS has been added to this webpage and applies to the NEPA for Lease Sales 259 and 261.

• Final Supplemental EIS
• Record of Decision for Lease Sale 259
• Record of Decision for Lease Sale 261
• Errata Sheet
• Note to Stakeholders: BOEM Issues Final Environmental Analysis for Upcoming Gulf Oil and Gas Lease Sales (01/09/2023)

Overview

This Final Supplemental EIS analyzes the potential impacts of the proposed actions on the marine, coastal, and human environments. This Final Supplemental EIS was prepared using the best information that was publicly available at the time the document was prepared. This Supplemental EIS’s analysis focuses on identifying and disclosing the baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in the Gulf of America (GOA). This Supplemental EIS will also inform the lease sale processes for GOA oil and gas Lease Sales 259 and 261, which BOEM is required to hold by the end of March and September 2023, respectively, as directed in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169, enacted August 16, 2022).  While BOEM has no discretion on whether to hold these lease sales, BOEM is preparing this Supplemental EIS to follow its normal leasing process to the fullest extent possible.

This Final Supplemental EIS incorporates by reference all the relevant material in the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program:  2017-2022; Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement; Gulf Lease Sales 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 257, 259, and 261—Final Multisale Environmental Impact Statement (2017-2022 GOA Multisale EIS) and Gulf of America OCS Lease Sale:  Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 2018 (2018 GOA Supplemental EIS).  This Supplemental EIS has been prepared to aid in the determination of whether or not new available information indicates if either GOA oil and gas Lease Sales 259 or 261 would result in new significant impacts not analyzed in the 2017-2022 GOA Multisale EIS or 2018 GOA Supplemental EIS.

Proposed Action: To hold an oil and gas lease sale on the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf.

Purpose: To offer for lease those areas that may contain economically recoverable oil and gas resources in order to further the orderly development of OCS oil and gas resources in accordance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).

Need: To manage the development of the OCS energy resources in an environmentally and economically responsible manner, as required under Section 18 of the OCSLA.

During the comment period, BOEM held two virtual public meetings where the public learned more about the environmental review process and had an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments on the draft Supplemental EIS. The virtual public meetings were held on October 24 and 26, 2022.

Final Agenda Draft SEIS for Lease Sales

Agenda and recordings

Virtual Meeting Resources

• Gulf OCS Regulatory Framework Technical Report 
• Essential Fish Habitat Technical Report 
• 2017-2022 Five-Year Proposed Final Program
• 2017-2022 Five-Year Final Programmatic EIS (Volume 1, Volume 2)
• 2017 – 2022 GOA Multisale EIS (Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3)
• 2018 GOA Supplemental EIS (Volume 1, Volume 2)
• Addendum for SEIS for Lease Sales 259 and 261 and Technical Report: Gulf GHG Analysis
• Gulf GHG Analysis Updates for Lease Sale 261