Location of Oil Leases in the Gulf of Mexico

Oil drilling, in American waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is managed by a federal agency known as Minerals Management Service (MMS).  The "Central Planning Area" of the Gulf - located south of the Louisiana and Alabama shoreline - encompasses 66,452,086 acreas. 

To begin drilling for petroleum in the Gulf, a company must first obtain a lease from MMS.  In 2008, when this map was created with data released by that agency, nearly half of the Central Gulf - 28,875,454 acres - was under lease to various companies.

Credits

Image created by Alice Kreit, of National Public Radio, using data from Minerals Management Service, Department of the Interior.  Image online, courtesy NPR.