Interior Department Proposes Alaska Cook Inlet Oil Lease Sale

The United States Department of the Interior proposed an offshore oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet scheduled for March 3, 2027. Titled Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 2, the sale offers approximately 1.05 million acres across 224 blocks for drilling.

This proposal follows a congressionally mandated program established by a 2025 tax bill signed by President Donald Trump. The legislation requires annual lease sales in the Cook Inlet from 2026 through 2028 and again from 2030 through 2032. The Marine Minerals Administration stated the sale is a requirement under this tax bill.

The current proposal comes after a previous Cook Inlet sale in March 2026 failed to attract industry interest, which resulted in zero bids for the offered acreage.