The Department of the Interior released a draft proposal to lease approximately 1.27 billion acres in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), including in six areas off the coast of California. The draft proposal, released on November 20, 2025, follows reports on a leaked draft of the plan earlier this month.
The 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program includes 34 potential offshore lease sales in federal OCS planning areas. The 34 potential offshore lease sales include six along the California coast in what would be the first federal oil and gas lease sales along the Pacific coast since 1984.
The Secretary of the Interior issued an order titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy,” which directs the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to terminate the 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and replace it with a new program for 2026–2031 by October 2026. The secretary’s order implements President Trump’s executive order on “Unleashing American Energy,” which established as U.S. policy to “encourage energy production and exploration on federal lands and waters, including on the Outer Continental Shelf.”
Potential Lease Areas
The 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program includes 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 federal OCS planning areas. The 34 potential offshore lease sales include six along the California coast, seven in the Gulf of Mexico, and 21 off the coast of Alaska. Of the six California areas, three are off the coast of southern California starting in 2027, two along the central coast starting in 2027, and one off the coast of northern California starting in 2029.
Southern California has been the focus of California offshore oil development. There were 10 lease sales in the Southern California Planning Area between 1963 and 1984 with significant exploration and development. There are 30 existing leases, and all leases are producing. Active leases currently produce oil from 23 oil platforms in federal waters and four platforms in state waters. There has been a new state lease since 1969. Eight platforms in federal waters are being decommissioned.
The Northern California Planning Area has had only one lease sale, in 1963, with no commercial discoveries, according to the proposal. The Central California Planning Area has also had only one lease sale, also in 1963 and also with no commercial discoveries.
Governor Gavin Newsom, a likely presidential candidate in 2028, expressed opposition to the plan, potentially setting up offshore oil drilling as an election issue. “Trump’s idiotic plan endangers our coastal economy and communities and hurts the well-being of Californians,” he said in a statement. “This reckless attempt to sell out our coastline to his Big Oil donors is dead in the water. Californians remember the environmental and economic devastation of past oil spills,” he said.
“For decades, California has stood firm in our opposition to new offshore drilling, and nothing will change that. We will use every tool at our disposal to protect our coastline.”
