Petroleum Equipment and Service Association expresses support for Draft Five-Year OCS Leasing Program

The Petroleum Equipment and Service Association (PESA) recently submitted comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in support of the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program for 2019-2024 (DPP).

The DPP would make available more than 90 percent of the total OCS acreage and more than 98 percent of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and natural gas resources in federal offshore areas.

PESA emphasized in its comments its support for moving forward with lease sale planning for all of the 25 proposed areas of the DPP, including the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (EGOM). Industry data suggests that there is substantial potential for oil and gas resources in the EGOM.

The DPP is an early step in the multi-year process of developing a final OCS leasing program. BOEM will use input received from stakeholders along with the results of an environmental impact assessment to develop the final OCS leasing program.

PESA was also part of a Joint Trade Group led by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that submitted extensive comments on the DPP and conducted a comprehensive advocacy program to gather support for the new five-year OCS Leasing Program.