	Introduction

Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended, the Department of the Interior (DOI) must prepare and maintain forward-looking five-year plans—referred to by DOI as "five-year programs"—that indicate proposed public oil and gas lease sales in U.S. waters over a five-year period. In preparing each program, DOI must balance national interests in energy supply and environmental protection. The lead agency within DOI responsible for the program is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). All available leasing areas are initially examined, and the selection may then be narrowed based on economic and environmental analysis to arrive at a final leasing schedule. At the end of the process, the Secretary of the Interior must submit each program to the President and to Congress for a period of at least 60 days, after which the proposal may be approved by the Secretary and may take effect with no further regulatory or legislative action. As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the planning process includes a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS). The PEIS examines the potential environmental impacts from oil and gas exploration and development and considers a reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed plan. Because of the stages of review and comment required under both the OCSLA and NEPA, the Administration could not revise a finalized program—for example, to add new sales—without restarting the program development process. The final program schedules 11 lease sales on the OCS: 10 in the Gulf of Mexico region, 1 in the Alaska region, and none in the Atlantic or Pacific regions (see Table 3 ). Three sales proposed in earlier versions of the program—one in the Atlantic and two off of Alaska—were not ultimately included in the program. Accordingly, Congress has typically been actively involved in the planning process for the five-year programs. Under the OCSLA, Congress's review of BOEM's final program does not include approval or disapproval of the program. Members may convey their views on the Administration's proposals by submitting public comments on draft versions of the program during formal comment periods, and they may evaluate the program in committee oversight hearings. More directly, Members may introduce legislation to set or alter a program's terms. Five-Year Program Development Process51

BOEM's development of a five-year program typically takes place over two or three years, during which successive drafts of the program are published for review and comment. Former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell issued a record of decision approving the final program for 2017-2022 on January 17, 2017. 2012-2017 Program. No lease sales are scheduled for the other two regions of the U.S. OCS, the Atlantic region and the Pacific region. Role of Congress

Congress can influence the Administration's development of a five-year program in a number of ways. The 114 th Congress pursued all these types of influence with respect to the proposed program for 2017-2022. The 115 th Congress could also address the 2017-2022 program—for example, through legislation to alter its terms—or could choose not to do so. H.R. 1487 and S. 791 would have required the Secretary of the Interior to use an earlier-proposed Bush Administration draft program for 2010-2015 (which was not adopted) as the final oil and gas leasing program for the years FY2015-FY2020. H.R. H.R. H.R.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), within the Department of the Interior (DOI), has prepared a five-year plan—referred to by BOEM as a "five-year program"—for offshore oil and gas leasing on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) from mid-2017 through mid-2022. Currently, BOEM is implementing a previous five-year program for the 2012-2017 period. BOEM develops the leasing programs under Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended (OCSLA; 43 U.S.C. §§1331-1356b). The law requires the Secretary of the Interior to prepare and maintain forward-looking plans that indicate proposed public oil and gas lease sales in U.S. waters. In doing so, the Secretary must balance national interests in energy supply and environmental protection.
BOEM's development of a five-year program typically takes place over two or three years, during which successive drafts of the program are published for review and comment. All available leasing areas are initially examined, and the selection may then be narrowed based on economic and environmental analysis to arrive at a final leasing schedule. At the end of the process, the Secretary of the Interior must submit each program to the President and to Congress for a period of at least 60 days, after which the proposal may be approved by the Secretary and may take effect with no further regulatory or legislative action. BOEM also develops a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for the leasing program, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. §4321). The PEIS examines the potential environmental impacts from oil and gas exploration and development and considers a reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed plan.
On January 17, 2017, former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell issued a record of decision approving BOEM's final offshore oil and gas leasing program for 2017-2022. The final program schedules 11 OCS lease sales, including 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and 1 in the Alaska region. No sales are scheduled for the Atlantic or Pacific regions. Three sales proposed in earlier drafts of the program—one in the Atlantic and two off of Alaska—were not ultimately included in the program. An incoming Administration could not revise a finalized program—for example, to restore excluded sales or to add new sales—without restarting the program development process.
Congress has typically been actively involved during the planning phases of BOEM's five-year leasing programs. For example, Members of Congress have conveyed their views on the Administration's proposals by submitting public comments on draft versions of programs during formal comment periods and have evaluated programs in committee oversight hearings. The 114th Congress exercised both of these types of influence with respect to the program for 2017-2022. Further, although Congress's role under the OCSLA does not include approval or disapproval of the program, Members may directly influence the terms of a program through legislation. Some legislation in the 114th Congress, including H.R. 1487/S. 791, H.R. 1663, H.R. 3682, H.R. 4749, S. 1276, S. 1278, S. 1279, S. 2011, and S. 3203, would have altered the 2017-2022 program by adding certain lease sales or making other programmatic changes. Other bills, including H.R. 1895, H.R. 2630, H.R. 3927, H.R. 4535, S. 1430, S. 2155, and S. 2238, would have influenced the program by prohibiting leasing in various parts of the OCS. None of these bills was enacted. The 115th Congress could introduce legislation to alter the terms of the Administration's final program for 2017-2022, or it could choose not to do so.