Our current situation: Our energy situation shows us that we need more access to domestic supplies of oil and natural gas. Crude oil is over $100 a barrel and yet, unlike any other nation on Earth, the federal government only has leased 3% of offshore areas for oil and natural gas development.[1]

The Minerals Management Service (the federal agency in charge of oil and natural gas leasing) is currently soliciting comments about whether to expand oil and natural gas development on the outer continental shelf (OCS) for the years 2010-2015. Comments are due no later than September 18, 2008. Now’s the time to let the federal government know we need greater access to America’s energy resources.

What is the Minerals Management Service (MMS) doing? Every 5 years MMS creates a plan for leasing on the OCS. But much has changed since MMS started implementing the most recent plan (the current plans runs from July 2007 through June 2012). On July 1, 2007, oil was only $64 a barrel and Presidential and Congressional prohibitions forbid opening additional areas to oil and gas development on the OCS. Now oil is over $100 a barrel and President Bush has responded by lifting the Presidential ban on additional leasing. This only leaves the Congressional ban prohibiting additional OCS development. 

MMS is responding to high energy prices by asking the public whether new additional areas of the OCS should be opened for oil and gas exploration.

What oil and gas resources are available on the OCS? MMS estimates about 18 billion barrels of oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to be technically recoverable in the areas currently off limits on this OCS.[2]  These estimates are likely to be very conservative. The data on which the estimates are based as 20-30 years old and great technological advancements have occurred since then allowing much greater resource extraction.

Let MMS know what you think about additional domestic energy supplies. The easiest way to send your comments to MMS is to fill out the information below. After you have entered your contact information (which MMS requires) then click [whatever they should click] and go to the next page where you will be able to edit the draft letter we have prepared.

With your permission, the Institute for Energy Research would like to send you periodic email with information about important energy-related issues. 

Additional Information:

MMS’s Frequently Asked Questions: What is the 5-Year Program http://www.mms.gov/5-year/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.htm

MMS’s Request for Information  http://www.mms.gov/5-year/PDFs/E8-17708.pdf

MMS’s How Do I Comment on the 5-Year Program http://www.mms.gov/5-year/5-YearProgramComments.htm

[1] Personal communication from MMS. MMS reports that as of March 2008 it leased 44.1 million acres of the 1.76 billion total acres of OCS.

[2] Minerals Management Service, Frequently Asked Questions: Request for Interest, Proposed New 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf, Oil and Gas Leasing Program, http://www.mms.gov/5-year/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.htm.