The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 required the Interior Department to experiment with alternatives to the traditional bidding system in leasing offshore lands for oil and gas development. This experiment, extending over a 5-year period, is scheduled to end in September 1983. GAO found that the initial effects of the alternative systems on company participation and competition have generally paralleled or bettered the results of the traditional system, although up-front money required to obtain leases was not always reduced as theorized. Additional time and testing are needed before the full effects on the leasing program can be determined.
展开▼
