Second congressionally mandated Cook Inlet sale scheduled for March 2027
The Marine Minerals Administration has announced the availability of a Proposed Notice of Sale for Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 2, or BBC2, the second offshore oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet required by the Working Families Tax Cut Act of 2025.
The proposed sale would make approximately 1.05 million acres available for leasing in the northern portion of the Cook Inlet Planning Area, the same area offered in the Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 1 sale, held in March 2026. The proposed lease area includes 224 blocks stretching roughly from Kalgin Island in the north to Augustine Island in the south.
'Alaska remains central to America’s energy future, and Cook Inlet is an important part of that opportunity,' said MMA Acting Director Mike Olsen. 'The BBC2 sale continues MMA’s work to carry out a predictable, congressionally mandated leasing schedule that supports domestic energy production, strengthens national readiness and provides a transparent process for the State of Alaska, local governments and industry.'
The 2025 Working Families Tax Cut Act requires MMA to hold at least six offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet Planning Area: one each year from 2026 through 2028, and one each year from 2030 through 2032. The BBC2 sale is scheduled for March 2027.
The Proposed Notice of Sale includes the proposed size, timing and location of the sale, as well as lease stipulations, terms and conditions, minimum bids, royalty rates and rental rates. To encourage strong industry participation and support investment in domestic energy production, the proposed terms include a 12.5 percent royalty rate.
MMA will send the Proposed Notice of Sale to the governor of Alaska and publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on Oct. 13. This step begins a 60-day regulatory review period for the state and affected local governments to submit comments and recommendations on the proposed sale’s size, timing and location. MMA will consider those comments and recommendations before issuing a Final Notice of Sale.
MMA will publish a Final Notice of Sale in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the scheduled bid opening. More details, maps and instructions are available at: www.boem.gov/bbc2
Source: BOEM
