Alaska Leasing Office

    INTRODUCTION  

    View through an Oil DrumThe Leasing Section of BOEM's Alaska OCS Region implements the federal government's Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Five-Year Program within the bounds of the Alaska OCS Region. The section ensures that OCS Lands Act requirements and procedures are followed in the preparation and conduct of sales listed in the Five-Year Program.

    In this capacity, the section works closely with the Alaska Region's other program offices (Environment, and Resource Evaluation) to develop appropriate lease mitigation and terms of sale to help ensure expeditious and orderly development -- subject to environmental safeguards -- of America’s oil and gas resources. The section adjudicates bids and issues leases to the highest responsible qualified bidder(s) after completion of fair market value review.

    The Proposed Final Five-Year Program for 2012 to 2017 introduces several enhancements to the Alaska OCS lease sale process. These enhancements include targeted leasing, an interactive mapping tool, and a mitigation program tracking table.

    THE LEASING PROCESS  

    The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (often referred to simply as OCSLA) authorizes the Department of the Interior to grant leases to the highest bidder for the exploration, development and production of oil and gas contained within the Outer Continental Shelf (generally defined as the submerged lands lying around and outside three geographical miles off each state).

    These rights are conveyed by contracts referred to as leases. Each lease covers an area that is no more than 5,760 acres, and is generally a square measuring 3 miles by 3 miles.

    Outer Continental Shelf Program's Leasing, Exploration and Development Process  

    Leasing process

    Under a lease, a company has the right to apply for permits to explore and develop the mineral resources within that area. Before approving the permits, BOEM carefully reviews all applications to ensure that the activities will be conducted in a safe and environmentally sound manner and that the interests of key stakeholders are effectively addressed.

    LEASE SALES  

    MAPS  

    DATA  

    • Alaska Lease Holdings by Owner. This table lists the companies currently holding leases in Alaska, together with the number of leases held and the resulting acreage.
    • Detailed Listing of Active Leases. A table detailing all the individual tracts currently leased, including the lease owner, date leased, date lease expires, etc.
    • Alaska Lease Data Report. Contains a detailed, block-by-block breakdown (lease number, area code, block number, low and maximum water depths, protraction number, district code, distance to shore, and more) of Alaska leases.
    • Historical Alaska Region Lease Sales. This one-page table gives an overview of all lease sales held in Alaska, including number of tracts offered, number of tracts leased, and acreage.
    • Combined Leasing Status Report. Updated monthly, this overview includes not only Alaska, but also the current leasing situations in BOEM's other two regions: The Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico.
    • Scheduled Lease Sales, 2012-2017. This table shows all lease sales scheduled nationally, including in Alaska, from 2012-2017.