Outer Continental Shelf Lease Restoration Act of 2026

Key Points

• Companies holding wind leases next to a canceled lease area get first right to buy the abandoned acreage at a fixed, pre-set price instead of through a new competitive auction.
• Congress declares that past environmental studies for these wind areas already satisfy federal law, so no new environmental review is required to transfer the land to a new company.
• Companies that gave up a wind lease are permanently barred from buying it back or bidding on it again, closing off any strategy of canceling a project to later get a cheaper deal.
• The government cannot issue any new offshore oil or gas leases or permits until all the abandoned wind lease areas have been transferred or offered for sale.
• Courts are blocked from reviewing these lease transfers at all, except for a narrow set of claims that must go straight to one specific appeals court within 90 days.