U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012–2017, which makes more than 75 percent of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources estimated in federal offshore areas available for exploration and development. The proposed program includes six offshore areas where there are currently active leases and exploration and where there is known or anticipated hydrocarbon potential. It schedules 15 potential lease sales for the 2012-2017 period—12 in the Gulf of Mexico and 3 off the coast of Alaska.