Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Required for Lease Sale 257

A coalition of environmental organizations requests that the U.S. Department of the Interior and BOEM halt Lease Sale 257 or perform a supplemental NEPA review. They contend that previous environmental impact statements from 2016 and 2017 are obsolete, failing to account for current climate science, the shift toward deepwater drilling, threats to newly listed endangered species, and the impacts of offshore fracking and pipeline failures. The authors argue that the lease sale, which could produce 1.12 billion barrels of oil and 4.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, is inconsistent with President Biden's climate and environmental justice goals.

• Lease Sale 257 is projected to offer 79.7 million acres of federal waters, potentially producing 1.12 billion barrels of oil and 4.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas over 50 years.
• BOEM's previous greenhouse gas (GHG) analyses are flawed because they assume 'perfect substitution,' claiming that not leasing in the U.S. would increase global emissions by shifting production to foreign sources.
• Recent data indicates a significant shift toward deepwater drilling, contradicting BOEM's assumption that activity would concentrate in shallow waters (0-200m). In 2021, BSEE approved 21 new and 219 revised well permits in deep water (>500 ft), compared to 16 new and 17 revised permits in shallow water.
• The lease sale poses threats to several imperiled species not fully addressed in prior EISs, including the Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei), which is the only large whale species residing exclusively in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
• Offshore hydraulic fracturing and acidizing in the Gulf have resulted in the discharge of an estimated 66.3 million gallons of treatment, completion, and workover (TCW) fluids between 2010 and 2020.
• A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that BSEE lacks a strong inspection program for the approximately 8,600 miles of active offshore pipelines and has allowed 97% of unused pipelines (18,000 miles) to remain on the seafloor.
• The document highlights that fossil fuel infrastructure disproportionately harms frontline communities, noting that African Americans are 75% more likely to live near toxic pollution and exposed to 38% more air pollution than white people.

APA

Earthjustice (2021). Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Required for Lease Sale 257. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/cbd_et_al_ls_257_supplemental_comments_07.29.2021.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Required for Lease Sale 257. 2021. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/cbd_et_al_ls_257_supplemental_comments_07.29.2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Required for Lease Sale 257 |date=29 July 2021 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/cbd_et_al_ls_257_supplemental_comments_07.29.2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2021supplemental, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Required for Lease Sale 257}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/cbd_et_al_ls_257_supplemental_comments_07.29.2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }