The 2024–2029 Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Plan: Implications for Climate Change, the Ocean, Environmental Justice, and U.S. Energy Supplies

On December 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finalized their new five-year program (5YP), which lays out which areas of the ocean they propose to lease to oil and gas companies in the next five years for future drilling. The new 5YP proposes three lease sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico, with one each in 2025, 2027, and 2029. This is the fewest number of sales ever proposed in a 5YP. 

The oil and gas industry will argue that this 5YP doesn’t go far enough—that we must vastly increase offshore drilling to meet U.S. energy needs and safeguard national energy security. In reality, the opposite is true. New offshore oil and gas leasing is unnecessary to meet our energy needs, and it’s incompatible with tackling the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, and protecting our ocean. This fact sheet lays out the facts and implications of this 5YP, concluding that while it’s not a victory for oil and gas, it’s not a resounding victory for Gulf communities or our planet either.