During the recent troubles in the Persian Gulf, it was plain to see how massive domestic oil production benefits the United States. Despite disruptions in many places abroad, American oil continued flowing at what were close to normal levels, and exports were strong. Now, the American Petroleum Institute, an industry association of oil and gas companies, is pushing for expanded opportunities for offshore drilling. They recently wrote:
WASHINGTON, January 23, 2026 — The American Petroleum Institute today joined more than 80 other national, state and local energy, business and manufacturing organizations in submitting comments supporting the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 11th National Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (DPP).
“Expanding leasing, exploration and development of U.S. offshore oil and natural gas resources can drive economic growth and energy production, further strengthening American energy leadership,” the coalition wrote. “We appreciate that the proposal includes traditional production regions where production has some of the lowest carbon footprint in the world, areas close to existing infrastructure, and frontier areas.”
In separate comments submitted by API and nine other offshore energy associations, industry groups expressed full support for the Draft Proposed Program and urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to maintain all proposed acreage with no additional areas removed from future leasing consideration.
The associations emphasized that a broad, predictable federal offshore leasing program is critical to U.S. energy security, job creation and long-term investment, noting that federal offshore oil and natural gas production currently accounts for about 14 percent of U.S. crude oil output and 2 percent of natural gas production. The groups also expressed support for expanding access to new regions, including the South-Central Gulf of America (GOA), the Atlantic, the Pacific and Alaska.
“The South-Central GOA planning area provides the greatest opportunity for expanded leasing, access to an area close to existing infrastructure, workforce and response capacity, and relatively well understood geologic trends and plays, and would give the nation an opportunity to bring additional resources to production at a potentially faster pace,” the industry groups wrote.
Additional organizations that joined API’s comments include the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), U.S. Oil and Gas Association (USOGA), American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), EnerGeo Alliance (EnerGeo), Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC), and the Offshore Operators Committee (OOC).
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