The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management seeks input to inform the preparation of a programmatic environmental impact statement for proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California program areas. The U.S. Interior Department’s draft for the proposed 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program includes one proposed lease sale in the Northern area, two in the Central area, and three in the Southern area. The proposed areas consist of 11,876 whole and partial lease blocks covering approximately 65 million acres of the Pacific Ocean.

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a lease sale for 57 oil and gas parcels totaling 68,632 acres in Utah. BLM completed scoping on these parcels in October 2025 and held a public comment period that closed in January 2026. A public protest period to receive additional input closed earlier this month. The bureau reviews drilling permit applications, conducts an environmental analysis, and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders. Parcels offered in a federal oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources.

The Bureau of Land Management seeks comments on a proposed rule to allow for commingling of oil and gas production more broadly in order to promote development on federal, Indian, private, and state lands. Commingling of production can reduce an operator’s costs, which could extend the economic life of a well, thereby allowing the operator to continue producing from a well that might otherwise be abandoned. The rulemaking, which is in response to statutory direction in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, aims to address barriers in the current regulations that limit the bureau’s ability to approve commingling and allocation agreements that involve multiple sources. READ MORE

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management seeks comments to inform a potential lease sale for minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of Alaska. In January, the bureau issued a request for information and interest to evaluate the potential for seabed minerals in the federal waters off Alaska and gather input from the public, companies, governments, Alaska Native tribes, and other organizations on potential lease areas, uses and conflicts, and factors that could inform its planning. If a sale is held, it would be the first minerals lease sale offshore Alaska. The comment period has been extended from the original deadline of March 2.

The U.S. Energy Department is due to receive concept papers for a $1.9 billion funding opportunity aimed at accelerating upgrades to the nation’s power grid to meet rising electricity demand and resource adequacy needs. The initiative supports projects that demonstrate how replacing existing power lines with higher‑capacity conductors, paired with other advanced transmission technologies, can expand grid capacity, enhance operational efficiency, lower costs for consumers, and improve overall system reliability. Full applications are due by May 20. READ MORE