WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Interior Department's five-year oil and gas leasing program actually limits the production potential in the country, a lobbying group said.
Last week, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a proposed five-year lease program for oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposal calls for 12 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the Alaskan coast.
Supporters of more domestic oil and gas development complained the decision left out key areas such as offshore Virginia and other potential reserves off the Atlantic Coast.
Erik Milito, upstream director for the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement while U.S. oil and gas production was increasing, this was largely due to shale oil and natural gas developments onshore from programs initiated years ago.
"The department's new plan maintains the status quo," he said. "It limits what we could and should be doing to secure more domestic energy for our future, create jobs for Americans, and generate revenue for our government."
Lawmakers in Virginia complained to the Platts news service that the Interior Department was curtailing state development. Offshore oil and gas development, however, was scrutinized after the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Navy presence in Virginia also poses obstacles to development there.
