The Biden administration’s latest offshore oil and gas drilling plan drew swift pushback from environmentalists and Democratic allies in Congress over its proposals for potential new drilling sites and from at least one industry group for a “lack of clear signals” to energy markets.
In a proposal issued Friday evening, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management sealed off the possibility of new leases in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But it approved the option of 11 potential new lease sales — 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, south of Anchorage.
Interior is required by law to issue five-year plans for offshore oil and gas development. The current plan expires this year, and the new plan would cover years 2023 through 2028.
