This page describes only those OCS activities offshore Alabama that are in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. No activities off Alabama in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area are included.

The MMS has received 26 exploration plans (EP's) for leases located in the Eastern Gulf Sale 181 area (See Figure) since late 2000.  All but two of these plans have been sent to affected States for coastal zone management consistency review. 

Fourteen wells have been drilled in the Sale 181 area since January 2003.  These are as follows:

• Marathon's Barracuda prospect on DeSoto Canyon Block 927
• Anadarko's Hawkeye prospect on Lloyd Ridge Block 360
• Anadarko's Atlas prospect on Lloyd Ridge Block 50
• Shell's Shiloh prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 269
• Devon's Tuscany prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 180
• Anadarko's Spiderman prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 621
• Anadarko's Atlas NW prospect on Lloyd Ridge Block 5
• Anadarko's Spiderman 2 prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 620
• Dominion's San Jacinto prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 618
• Shell’s Cheyenne prospect on Lloyd Ridge Block 399
• Dominion’s San Jacinto prospect (well No. 2) on Desoto Canyon Block 618
• Dominion’s West Raptor prospect on Desoto Canyon Block 445
• Murphy's S. Dachshund prospect on Lloyd Ridge Blocks 1 and 2

Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sales 189 and 197

On February 7, 2002, MMS began the first steps to hold Eastern Gulf Lease Sales 189 (2003) and 197 (2005).  On that date, a Federal Register Call and Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS on those sales was published.  MMS held scoping meetings in Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, during March 2002.  These meetings were held to collect information and public input on the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in the draft environmental impact statement.  A draft EIS was made available to the public in November 2002.  The proposed sale area is consistent with that of the Sale 181 area (1.5 million acres). 

On December 10, 2003, Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sale 189 was held, attracting $8.4 million in high bids on 14 tracts.  Six companies participated in the lease sale, which offered 138 blocks comprising 794,880 acres offshore Alabama.  The highest bid received was $2.2 million, submitted by Shell and Nexen.  Eastern Gulf Sale 197 is scheduled for March 2005.

Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sale 181

On January 29, 2002, the MMS announced the completion of the review of bids for Lease Sale 181, held on December 5, 2001. Of the 95 tracts receiving bids, all the high bids were determined to represent fair market value. As a result, MMS awarded 95 leases totaling $340,474,113 in high bids. All 95 tracts receiving bids were located in water depths greater than 1,600 meters (5,249 feet). The deepest tract bid on was Lloyd Ridge Block 446 in 2,908 meters of water. The highest bid accepted on a tract was for $26,015,040 by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for Lloyd Ridge Block 91. Seventeen companies participated in the sale.

On July 2, 2001, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced that Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sale 181 area would be adjusted from 5.9 million acres (1,033 blocks) to about 1.5 million acres (256 blocks). The adjusted area lies more than 100 miles off the Alabama/Florida state line. The OCS 5-Year Program for 2002-2007 scheduled two lease sales in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. Using the current 1.5-million-acre configuration, lease sales 189 and 197 would be held in 2003 and 2005, respectively. The 2002-2007 Program does not propose the leasing of any OCS areas withdrawn from leasing by moratoria or executive order.