The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, passed by Congress in 1953 and amended extensively in 1978, provides overall guidelines for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing, exploration and development, and production activities. The Act requires that the U.S. Department of the Interior prepare a 5-year program that specifies, as precisely as possible, the size, timing, and location of areas to be assessed for Federal offshore oil and gas leasing. No OCS lease sale may be held unless it is included in the approved 5-year program. The current 5-year program is the fifth issued by the Department under the 1978 amendments and covers the period mid-1997 to mid- 2002.