The Administration needs until the end of this year to finalize a long-awaited five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development in federal waters, according to court documents filed this week.

The U.S. has been without a congressionally-mandated five year schedule of offshore oil and gas auctions since the previous one expired in June 2022.

The process is being closely watched by the oil and gas industry, which has pressed for more leasing to boost domestic fuel supplies, and by environmentalists, who say drilling conflicts with President's promise to fight climate change.

In a proposal unveiled in July, the administration said the next plan would have anywhere from zero to 11 lease sales, but it did not commit to a timeline for completing the process.

It will take until December to complete "all necessary analyses, approvals, and mandatory procedural steps" related to the plan, the Interior Department said in a filing on Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Interior is defending itself in a lawsuit filed by the American Petroleum Institute alleging the agency broke the law by failing to finalize an offshore drilling plan.

Before the end of this year, Interior said it must review and respond to 760,000 public comments on its proposed plan and conduct analyses on greenhouse gas emissions, leasing benefits and air quality, among others.

The proposed final program is expected to be completed in September and approved in December following a 60-day waiting period.