HYDE-SMITH MOVES TO RESUME OFFSHORE LEASE SALES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
Hyde-Smith Cosponsors Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025, Authorizes Lease Sales for the Next Decade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is cosponsoring legislation to authorize renewed offshore oil and natural gas leasing in American waters, which would be a departure from Biden administration efforts to severely limit future production in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025 (S.109), introduced Thursday by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), requires the U.S. Department of the Interior to hold two offshore oil and gas lease sales per year for 10 years. The legislation is intended to provide greater certainty, particularly since 2024 was the first time in 50 years that no lease sales were made in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico is vital to our economic and national security,” said Hyde-Smith. “The Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025 will help ensure that our resources are being properly managed to better the lives of Mississippians and the nation by unleashing American energy dominance.”
Both Hyde-Smith and Cassidy serve on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which conducted a confirmation hearing for North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to be the next Secretary of the Interior. Asked by Hyde-Smith about offshore energy production, Burgum said, “Getting lease sales to be regular, predictable, and at a level that allows us to maintain energy production in our country is a minimum standard.”
In addition to mandating sales, S.109 also defines acreage, stipulates lease terms and conditions, defines which previously-finalized environmental reviews will apply to the sales, and ensures that both issued leases and drilling permit applications are not either invalidated, remanded, or delayed as a result of civil litigation. The bill also codifies President Trump’s 2020 memorandum to withdraw the Eastern Gulf of Mexico from leasing for the duration of the legislation.
The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). The American Petroleum Institute (API), National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Gulf Energy Alliance (GEA), and Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) are among the groups supporting this legislation.
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