The proposed lease area includes 224 blocks stretching roughly from Kalgin Island in the north to Augustine Island in the south, the MMA statement revealed.
MMA Proposes 2nd Alaska Oil, Gas Lease Sale
Andreas Exharheas, Rigzone, October 14, 2026
The Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) announced, in a statement posted on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) website recently, the availability of a Proposed Notice of Sale for Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 2, or BBC2.
This is the second offshore oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet required by the Working Families Tax Cut Act of 2025, the statement noted, adding that the proposed sale would make approximately 1.05 million acres available for leasing in the northern portion of the Cook Inlet Planning Area. This is the same area offered in the Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 1 sale, held in March 2026, the statement pointed out.
The MMA outlined in its statement that, on Tuesday, it sent the Proposed Notice of Sale to the governor of Alaska and published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. This step began a 60-day regulatory review period for the state and affected local governments to submit comments and recommendations on the proposed sale’s size, timing, and location, the statement revealed, noting that the MMA will consider those comments and recommendations before issuing a Final Notice of Sale.
The Proposed Notice of Sale includes the proposed size, timing, and location of the sale, as well as lease stipulations, terms and conditions, minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates, the statement said.
“To encourage strong industry participation and support investment in domestic energy production, the proposed terms include a 12.5 percent royalty rate,” the MMA highlighted.
MMA will publish a Final Notice of Sale in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the scheduled bid opening, the statement said.
“Alaska remains central to America’s energy future, and Cook Inlet is an important part of that opportunity,” MMA Acting Director Mike Olsen noted in the statement.
President Donald Trump has announced that Taiwan will take roughly 30% of Alaska LNG output for two decades and contribute an additional $4.4 billion to the project, though Taipei has not yet locked in either commitment. Taiwan’s current plan is to buy about 6 million tons of LNG a year and join the development process, with the financial structure and ownership terms still to be negotiated. The potential deal could help ensure the development’s success while helping Taiwan broaden its fuel supply base, but commercial deliveries are not expected before 2032.
API Smart Brief, October 14, 2026
Latest rating shift away from Republicans in Alaska races comes on day President Trump visits Wasilla to boost party’s candidates
Governor’s race goes from ‘Likely Republican’ to ‘Lean Democrat’ in one month at Cook Political Report
Mark Sabbatini, Alaska Independent, October 14, 2026
A swing toward Democrats in Alaska’s major races continued Tuesday when the governor’s race was switched to “Lean Democrat” by The Cook Political Report, the third change by the ratings website since it classified the contest as “Likely Republican” a month ago.
An analysis at the election ratings website notes former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democrat, is polling far ahead of three Republican candidates — Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Tayor — in the ranked choice contest.
“Other than Iowa, Alaska may be Democrats’ best opportunity to flip a governors’ mansion in a red state,” Jessica Taylor, an editor for the site, wrote in her analysis. “Former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (colloquially known as JKT) benefits from being the lone Democrat in the four-person field and is running comfortably ahead of conservative activist Bernadette Wilson and two other Republicans.”
“The concern for Republicans is that, amid a divided GOP field, Republican voters will only choose one of their candidates on their ranked-choice ballots rather than ranking multiple options, allowing Kreiss-Tomkins to consolidate a majority.”
The change is similar to rating shifts for the U.S. Senate, which have also shifted from favoring Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan at Cook Political Report as well as the election forecasting website Sabato’s Crystal Ball. The latter rates Sullivan’s race against Democrat Mary Peltola as “Leans Democratic,” having shifted it left twice since a “Leans Republican” rating in Juneau. The Cook Political Report rates the race a “Toss Up,” a shift made in June from “Lean Republican.”
Alaska last elected a Democratic governor in 1998 and a Democratic U.S. senator in 2008.
The shifts in Alaska also mirror forecasts and polling across the United States showing Republican candidates are struggling in areas that historically have been favorable toward the party.
Those struggles are widely attributed to President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings have plummeted due to cost-of-living and other concerns. He has responded with a series of campaign appearances in states that traditionally vote Republican, including a visit to Wasilla on Tuesday following a visit by Vice President JD Vance to Fairbanks last week.
Both ratings websites classify Alaska’s U.S. House race as likely Republican, with incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III polling well ahead of independent challenger Bill Hill.