# 2026-03973: Government Gears Up for Oil Lease Eco-Check Off California Coasts 2026-03973, Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California Program Areas, is a Federal Register notice from Interior Department, Ocean Energy Management Bureau published 2026-02-27, effective BOEM will consider comments from all interested parties including Federal, State and local governments, and the general public, may submit written comments by March 30, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-08). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03973 - As of: 2026-06-08 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-03973 - Title: Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California Program Areas - Type: Notice - Agencies: Interior Department; Ocean Energy Management Bureau - Citation: 91 FR 9881 - Published: 2026-02-27 - Effective: BOEM will consider comments from all interested parties including Federal, State and local governments, and the general public, may submit written comments by March 30, 2026. - Comments close: 2026-03-30 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-08 ## In one line Government Gears Up for Oil Lease Eco-Check Off California Coasts ## Summary The government is getting ready to study how new oil and gas lease sales off California’s coast might affect the environment. This affects people in Northern, Central, and Southern California, with lease sales planned soon that could bring changes to local communities and ecosystems. They want your thoughts by March 30, 2026, as they plan these sales and figure out the best way forward. ## Abstract Consistent with the U.S. Department of the Interior (Department or DOI) regulations and handbook implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) (Unique Identification Number DOI-BOEM-PC-2026- 0001-EIS) for proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California Program Areas (California Oil and Gas PEIS). This notice of intent (NOI) serves to announce the scoping process BOEM will use to identify significant issues and potential alternatives for consideration in the California Oil and Gas PEIS. On November 20, 2025, DOI published the first of three proposals during the development of the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (11th National Program). The Secretary's Draft Proposed Program for the 11th National Program includes one proposed lease sale in the Northern California Program Area, two proposed lease sales in the Central California Program Area, and three proposed lease sales in the Southern California Program Area. Because the first California lease sale is tentatively scheduled to occur near the beginning of the 11th National Program and given the long lead time needed to prepare for a proposed sale, BOEM must initiate the lease sale planning process and prepare the PEIS simultaneously with the development of the 11th National Program. ## Effects PRIA read - Lease Sales Could Open Offshore Oil Production: benefit, medium. BOEM proposes lease sales covering all available Outer Continental Shelf blocks offshore California — 11,876 whole and partial blocks covering about 26.2 million hectares (approximately 65 million acres). The Draft Proposed Program includes one proposed sale in Northern California, two in Central C… - Environmental and Local Economic Effects Possible: mixed, high. BOEM says the PEIS will analyze potential adverse or beneficial impacts on air and water quality, marine and coastal wildlife, and socioeconomic factors. The notice also lists impacts from routine emissions, noise, habitat disturbance, and accidental releases, and notes that socioeconomic changes c… - Limited-Access Alternative Near Existing Infrastructure: benefit, medium. One alternative the PEIS will analyze (Alternative C) would limit lease sales to blocks that could be developed from existing offshore infrastructure, which BOEM says exists only in the Southern California Program Area where over 1,650 exploratory and development wells have been drilled historicall… ## Related documents - [2026-15953](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15953): Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf-Revisions to the Requirements for Exploratory Drilling on the Arctic Outer…, 2026-08-06 - [2026-09208](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-09208): Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations; Extension of Public Comment Period, 2026-05-08 - [2026-04517](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-04517): Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations, 2026-03-09 - [2026-17149](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17149): Agency Information Collection Activities; Application To Be Recognized as Qualified To Bid On, Hold, or Operate a Lease or Grant on the OCS…, 2026-08-21 - [2026-16839](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16839): Notice of Availability of the Proposed Leasing Notice for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Outer Continental Shelf Pacific…, 2026-08-18 - [2026-16840](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16840): Notice of Availability of Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagrams, 2026-08-18 ## Sources - [2026-03973 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/27/2026-03973/notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-for-proposed-oil-and-gas) - [2026-03973 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-27/pdf/2026-03973.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-03972, Oil Country Tubular Goods From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmativ…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03972) - [Next: 2026-03974, Request for Comments on the Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collec…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03974) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03973 (as of 2026-06-08).