During President Donald Trump’s first term, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to make 725,500 acres of federal public lands and mineral estate available for oil and gas leasing in the Bay Area and Central Coast. The counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz, alongside environmental groups, argued the decision failed to consider meaningful alternatives and disclose environmental impacts, leading to a lawsuit in 2020.
The auction, held under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, is the first lease sale since the law’s enactment.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management lease sales across Colorado, Nevada and Utah generated $64.8 million in total revenue, reflecting continued interest in federal onshore acreage. The agency leased 136 parcels covering 131,121 acres during its latest quarterly sale, with revenue distributed between federal and state governments. Utah accounted for the majority of proceeds, generating $56.4 […]
The Bureau of Land Management has offered the minimum possible amount of land in a mandatory lease sale for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in keeping with the Biden administration’s efforts to minimize drilling in the area.