On November 19, 2025, the Department of the Interior launched the draft proposed 2026-2031 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program -- the most expansive offshore drilling proposal in American history, covering approximately 1.27 billion acres across 21 of 27 existing OCS planning areas. The program included up to 34 potential lease sales: 21 areas off Alaska (including the High Arctic), seven in the Gulf of America, and six along the Pacific coast. California was included for the first time since 1984, with six offshore lease sales planned between 2027 and 2030.
The proposal represented the culmination of actions initiated by Trump's January 20, 2025 "Unleashing American Energy" executive order, which directed Interior to terminate the restrictive Biden-era 2024-2029 leasing program and replace it. The Biden administration had withdrawn over 625 million acres of federal waters from leasing in its final days -- the largest such withdrawal in history, encompassing the entire Atlantic Coast, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific OCS -- but the Trump administration moved to override those protections.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted in July 2025, further accelerated the program by mandating rolling offshore lease sales through 2040, requiring BLM to offer at least 50% of all public land nominated by oil and gas companies in quarterly sales, and significantly reducing royalty rates that companies pay when extracting publicly owned resources. The legislation made over 200 million additional onshore acres available while slashing environmental review requirements.
The combined onshore and offshore program represented a transfer of publicly owned natural resources to private fossil fuel companies at below-market rates, with reduced environmental oversight, during a period when climate science demanded rapid decarbonization. The program was developed in close consultation with the American Petroleum Institute and major oil company executives who had donated heavily to Trump's campaign and inaugural fund. Environmental groups including Earthjustice and NRDC immediately announced legal challenges, arguing the proposal violated the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act. Coastal state and local officials from California to Florida expressed opposition, warning of catastrophic spill risks to tourism, fisheries, and marine ecosystems.