The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has made modifications to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning areas used for managing the oil and gas program, increasing the total number of planning areas from 26 to 27.

This change includes the establishment of a new High Arctic Planning Area and updates to other planning areas, reflecting recent changes in US OCS jurisdictional limits.

The main purpose of an OCS planning area is to divide large OCS regions for planning and other administrative purposes for oil and gas activities. Planning areas are also used to facilitate the required analytical comparison among the OCS regions at the National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program development stage, as well as for coordination with state and local governments. The four OCS regions are Alaska, Pacific, Gulf of America, and Atlantic.

This update follows the US Department of State's Dec. 21, 2023, announcement regarding the outer limits of the US  continental shelf as reflected in Public Notice 12244. As a result of this notice and amendments to the OCS Lands Act that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, BOEM has reassessed the jurisdictional limits of the OCS and recalculated acreages by region.

This update to the OCS planning areas enhances BOEM’s ability to manage and analyze our nation’s vital offshore resources, ensuring sustainable development in alignment with federal policies.

For more information, see: https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing/outer-continental-shelf.