Plans to sell off oil and gas leases in the US have been hit by protests from environmentalists.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to offer an estimated 45 million acres for exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico.
The auction which launched today will be for lots in the central and eastern sections of the Gulf.
The central region is generally seen as the most active part of the Gulf.
Five companies previously bid a total of less than $23million on 33 tracts in the western Gulf in August of last year.
Environmentalists have been calling for an end to the leasing of public lands for oil, gas and coal development.
Other similar government auctions around the country have been hit by protesters in recent months.
The Obama administration last week announced it would bar oil drilling off the Atlantic Coast, a move cheered by environmentalists but criticised by industry groups and many Republicans.
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