The US Minerals Management Service will hold an oil and natural gas lease sale for the Central Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf that will offer nearly 36 million acres and could produce up to 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 
"Continued development in appropriate areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, such as in the areas we will offer in the Gulf of Mexico, is a key component of our efforts to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
The proposed oil and gas Lease Sale 213 for the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area be held March 17, 2010. The Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale will be published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2009.
The proposed sale encompasses about 6,800 unleased blocks covering more than 35.9 million acres offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The proposed Central Gulf of Mexico lease sale could result in production of up to 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The acreage is located from three to 230 miles offshore in water depths of about 10 feet (three meters) to more than 11,200 feet (3,400 meters).
The Proposed Notice of Sale for the Central Gulf includes a proposed revision of the lease terms for blocks in water depths of 1,312 feet to 5,249 feet. Blocks in 400 to 800 meters change from an 8-year lease term to a 5-year initial lease term, where commencement of an exploratory well would extend the lease term to 8 years. Blocks in 800 to less than 1600 meters change from a 10-year initial lease term to a 7-year initial lease term, where commencement of an exploratory well would extend the lease term to 10 years.
The proposed sale area includes an area known as 181 South, which has about 4.2 million acres, located in the southeastern part of the Central Planning Area. The acreage in the 181 South area was offered for lease for the first time since 1988 in last year’s Central Gulf Lease Sale 208, as mandated by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.
An enhanced revenue sharing program also mandated by that Act allows Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas to share 37.5% of all revenue from leases in that area. In addition, 12.5% of revenues from those leases will be deposited into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for use by all 50 states to enhance parklands and for other conservation projects.
