Oil companies snag Gulf of Mexico waters for offshore drilling in last bid before Biden transition

The industry saw Wednesday’s auction as potentially the last opportunity to lease federal waters for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for the next four years.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. In the last opportunity for oil companies to bid on federal Gulf of Mexico waters under a Trump administration, the federal government on Wednesday leased more than a half-million acres t