BOEM – Environmental and Energy Law Program

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Regulatory Tracker

Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program

The Department of the Interior proposed a new 5-year program for offshore oil and gas lease sales that will cover 1.3 billion acres. The administration also rolled out a schedule for additional offshore oil and gas lease sales to implement provisions in the OBBBA.

April 3, 2026

Regulatory Tracker

Federal Offshore Wind Deployment

President Trump issued a memorandum withdrawing areas for wind energy leasing and ordering agency heads not to issue approvals for wind projects; a court vacated agencies’ implementation of that order in Dec. 2025. Also in Dec. 2025, DOI paused leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects.

March 23, 2026

Regulatory Tracker

Deep Sea Mining

Following the April 2025 executive order Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have taken steps to facilitate commercial deep sea critical minerals mining.

March 18, 2026