Gulf of Mexico Now 'Gulf of America' in Oil Lease Doc?
Published Date: 2/25/2026
Notice
Summary
The government is sticking with its plan to hold oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of America, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico. This means companies can keep exploring and drilling there, following updated environmental reviews. The name change and legal updates won’t slow down activities, keeping energy projects and jobs on track.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Lease Sales 259 and 261 Reaffirmed
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reaffirmed the decisions to hold Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sales 259 and 261 and reaffirmed the leases issued from those sales according to the notices of sale published in 2023. The notice says the court has not issued a remedy and there is no injunction restraining BOEM's management of the leases, and BOEM will begin acting on pending plans.
Programmatic EIS Used for Post‑Lease Reviews
BOEM will use the Gulf of America (GOA) Regional Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (final EIS published August 29, 2025) to tier National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses when reviewing post-lease and site-specific plans, permits, and approvals, regardless of when the area was leased. The Programmatic EIS also addresses the court's findings about greenhouse gas analysis and Rice's whale impacts and may inform extraordinary circumstance reviews and the appropriate use of categorical exclusions.
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Key Dates
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