By Aaron Weiss
This week, the Bureau of Land Management announced it is considering leasing nearly 112,500 acres of federal public land in oil and gas lease sales scheduled for 2023. This includes 16,691 acres in Utah and 95,420 acres in Wyoming. The BLM is accepting comments on this proposal as part of a public scoping period that begins today, and ends on January 19, 2023.
The BLM recently published instructional memoranda directing BLM field offices to implement the reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing system included in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as other reforms aimed at improving the leasing system. The reforms in the IRA include raising royalty rates, minimum bids, and rental rates for onshore oil leasing, adding a $5 per acre fee for expressing interest in federal land for leasing, and eliminating non-competitive leasing.
These instructional memoranda will ensure that upcoming lease sales are carried out responsibly and legally; however, the memoranda can be easily rewritten or erased by future administrations. Rather than rushing to lease over 100,000 acres of public land, the BLM should focus on permanently implementing reforms to the oil and gas leasing system via a formal rulemaking process.
The BLM should also use the rulemaking process to address major problems highlighted by the Interior Department in a report on the federal oil and gas leasing system released last year. This includes requiring oil and gas companies to fully pay for potential clean-up costs so taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill for cleaning up abandoned wells; avoiding the leasing of areas with low potential for oil and gas development; and creating a more transparent process that provides meaningful opportunities for public engagement and tribal consultation.
Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby released the following statement:
“It’s unfortunate that the Bureau of Land Management is rushing to lease over 100,000 acres of public land in the next quarter, rather than rushing to formalize the long-overdue reforms to the oil and gas leasing system. Until the BLM has made substantive progress toward a rulemaking, it should not waste time leasing a single additional acre of public land.
“For decades, the federal oil and gas leasing system has shortchanged wildlife and taxpayers while threatening the health of our communities and our environment. New, durable rules are long overdue and desperately needed to ensure the program better serves everyone—not just the oil and gas industry.
“Oil and gas companies have already leased a stockpile of 12 million acres of undeveloped public land and nearly 9,000 approved but unused permits to drill, so the BLM does not need to rush any more acres out the door.”
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org.
Aaron Weiss is Deputy Director, Center for Western Priorities.