The Interior Department has awarded the first three oil and gas leases in the western Gulf of Mexico under a U.S.-Mexico transboundary agreement that will make available disputed areas to increased energy production. The three leases located in an area known as the "western gap" were awarded May 30 to ExxonMobil Corp. "These leases represent a significant step forward in U.S.-Mexico cooperation in energy production and pave the way for future energy and environmental collaboration," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said. The transboundary agreement makes an area of nearly 1.5 million acres accessible for exploration and production activities, said Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Interior estimates the area contains as much as 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
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