BRIDGE Production Act of 2025

This bill would require the Interior Department to hold many more offshore oil and gas lease sales on a firm schedule. It orders at least 26 sales over 10 years—20 in the Gulf of America and 6 in Alaska’s Cook Inlet—beginning in 2025 and running through 2035. Each sale must offer very large areas: at least 80 million acres in the Gulf and 1 million acres in Cook Inlet (or all remaining unleased acres). The Secretary may waive rules that would slow final approval of a sale.

To speed approvals, the bill treats certain existing environmental reviews as enough for federal permits in the Gulf of America from enactment until two years after the last required sale; during this period, special protections for Rice’s whale would not apply to oil and gas work there. If the Department misses a sale date by 10 days, bidders can sue; courts may fine the agency, appoint a special master, and must order the sale within 120 days—but they cannot cancel leases or block issuing them. The bill also requires a continuous five‑year leasing program with a backup schedule if approvals fall behind, and leases must be issued within 90 days after an acceptable bid under that backup. Starting in 2035, any five‑year plan must include at least 15 sales; if not, a replacement schedule begins (10 in the Gulf of America and 5 in Alaska) with caps on royalty rates for those sales (up to 18.75% in the Gulf and 16.75% in Alaska). It sets a 45‑day deadline to approve requests to combine wells and creates a pilot program that can cut royalties to 10% for the first seven years if a company starts producing within three years (up to 25 leases).

Key points

• Who is affected: Offshore oil and gas companies that bid on or hold leases; the Department of the Interior; projects in the Gulf of America and Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
• What changes: More lease sales on a fixed timeline; large minimum areas offered; faster environmental and permit reviews in the Gulf of America; stricter court deadlines with limits on blocking sales; continuous five‑year leasing with a backup schedule; royalty incentives and caps; faster decisions on combining wells.
• When: Sales are scheduled from 2025 through 2035; the environmental streamlining lasts until two years after the last required sale; the “15 sales in 5 years” rule begins January 1, 2035.