A lack of interest in new oil and gas acreage for sale in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico may be indicative of a weak energy market, the government said. The U.S. government said there were $156 million in high bids generated for the 128 parcels on the auction block in the Gulf of Mexico. “The sum of all bids received totaled $179,172,819,” the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said in a statement. “No bids were received in the Eastern planning area [of the Gulf of Mexico].” Advocacy groups protested the lease sale held in downtown New Orleans, saying it was time for U.S. energy policies to focus more on clean energy alternatives. The […]