U.S. offshore energy regulators said they’re seeking input on the potential to offer more than 70 million acres up for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management published a notice of intent in the Federal Register for an environmental impact statement on a proposed lease scheduled for 2018. “BOEM proposes to offer for oil and gas leasing approximately 72 million acres,” it said. Areas excluded in the lease include a marine sanctuary and those areas beyond the U.S. economic zone. Public forums on the proposal are scheduled in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas through mid-September. With nearly all of the offshore oil and natural gas produced in the […]