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Environment

Interior Begins Offshore Leasing Process for Oil, Natural Gas

August 29, 2005 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 83, Issue 35

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Credit: DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR PHOTO
Norton
Credit: DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR PHOTO
Norton

The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service is calling for comments on the feasibility of "gas only" leasing on the outer continental shelf (OCS) and on the inventory of offshore oil and gas reserves required by the energy policy legislation recently passed by Congress. "The OCS contains billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas that can be safely produced," Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton says. "With our reliance on imports of foreign oil climbing each year, we would be irresponsible if we did not consider how we might develop these abundant domestic resources." The department began the formal process of developing its next five-year (2007-12) leasing plan for OCS energy development as oil and gas prices continue to climb to record levels. Chemical manufacturers and other energy-intensive industries have been urging the Bush Administration to open up additional offshore areas for exploration and production. Federal moratoriums on drilling have put more than 85% of OCS off-limits to energy development. The call for comments states that some areas may be "very sensitive to a potential accidental oil spill that may be suited to gas-only production, since natural gas would not pollute neighboring land areas in case of the loss of control of a well."

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