Blab Politics
Trump Administration Proposes Rollback of BLM Oil and Gas Leasing Rule, Threatening National Parks
On Tuesday, the Interior Department unveiled a sweeping revision to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2024 Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rule that would strip away several safeguards added last year. The changes would slash bonding requirements, eliminate the preference criteria that steered leases away from sensitive areas, and cut the public‑comment window from 60 to 10 days.
The 2024 rule, finalized in April under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed by Congress in 2025, set a new minimum bond of $150,000 for a single lease and $500,000 for multiple wells statewide. It also required a 60‑day period for public input. The proposed overhaul would revert bond amounts to pre‑1960s levels—far below the costs of plugging wells and cleaning abandoned sites.
Under the 2024 rule, BLM had built a preference system that kept leases out of culturally significant sites, wildlife habitats, and recreationally sensitive lands, including those adjacent to national parks. More than 80 national‑park units share a border with BLM‑managed land, and parks such as Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Canyon, Canyonlands and Dinosaur National Monument would face greater exposure to drilling and its accompanying air, water, light and sound pollution.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), which issued a press release on the proposal, warned that the new rule would cut the protest period from 60 to 10 days and impose stricter technical requirements for submissions. “The changes would eliminate commonsense protections while simultaneously slashing opportunities for public input,” the NPCA said. It added that thousands of unused drilling permits already exist on federal public lands, and that industry does not need cheaper access to more leases.
BLM manages more than 247 million acres of public land and oversees more than 63,000 oil and gas wells. The 2024 rule’s preference system also avoided leasing near sensitive cultural sites and wildlife habitats. The new proposal would remove that system, allowing leases to be awarded without regard to proximity to protected areas.
A 2021 NPCA report found that more than 31,000 orphaned wells lie within 30 miles of park boundaries—a legacy of past drilling that still threatens ecosystems. The organization has long advocated for stronger protections on public lands. The comment period on the proposed rule closes on Friday, August 21.
The Interior Department’s announcement follows a broader Trump Administration push to lower energy costs and expand American energy dominance. According to the department’s press release, the BLM’s revised rule is part of that effort, and it would also reduce the time citizens and organizations have to review and protest new leasing decisions.
The proposed rule is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on Wednesday. BLM has not yet announced whether it will adopt the changes or if further revisions will follow the comment period.
The NPCA has called for the rule to be withdrawn and for the BLM to maintain the protections added in 2024. The organization urges federal agencies to keep the bond amounts at the higher levels set by the 2024 rule and to preserve the public‑comment periods.
The final outcome of the proposal will depend on the responses received during the comment period and on any subsequent actions by the Interior Department. BLM will consider all comments before deciding whether to adopt the revisions.
Conservation groups fear that the removal of protections could lead to increased drilling activity near national parks and other sensitive public lands. The BLM’s decision will have implications for the environmental integrity of these lands and for the public’s ability to influence oil and gas leasing on federal property.
The next steps involve reviewing the public comments due by August 21 and then determining whether BLM will implement the proposed rule changes. The outcome will be closely watched by environmental groups, industry stakeholders, and the public.
The 2024 rule, finalized in April under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed by Congress in 2025, set a new minimum bond of $150,000 for a single lease and $500,000 for multiple wells statewide. It also required a 60‑day period for public input. The proposed overhaul would revert bond amounts to pre‑1960s levels—far below the costs of plugging wells and cleaning abandoned sites.
Under the 2024 rule, BLM had built a preference system that kept leases out of culturally significant sites, wildlife habitats, and recreationally sensitive lands, including those adjacent to national parks. More than 80 national‑park units share a border with BLM‑managed land, and parks such as Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Canyon, Canyonlands and Dinosaur National Monument would face greater exposure to drilling and its accompanying air, water, light and sound pollution.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), which issued a press release on the proposal, warned that the new rule would cut the protest period from 60 to 10 days and impose stricter technical requirements for submissions. “The changes would eliminate commonsense protections while simultaneously slashing opportunities for public input,” the NPCA said. It added that thousands of unused drilling permits already exist on federal public lands, and that industry does not need cheaper access to more leases.
BLM manages more than 247 million acres of public land and oversees more than 63,000 oil and gas wells. The 2024 rule’s preference system also avoided leasing near sensitive cultural sites and wildlife habitats. The new proposal would remove that system, allowing leases to be awarded without regard to proximity to protected areas.
A 2021 NPCA report found that more than 31,000 orphaned wells lie within 30 miles of park boundaries—a legacy of past drilling that still threatens ecosystems. The organization has long advocated for stronger protections on public lands. The comment period on the proposed rule closes on Friday, August 21.
The Interior Department’s announcement follows a broader Trump Administration push to lower energy costs and expand American energy dominance. According to the department’s press release, the BLM’s revised rule is part of that effort, and it would also reduce the time citizens and organizations have to review and protest new leasing decisions.
The proposed rule is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on Wednesday. BLM has not yet announced whether it will adopt the changes or if further revisions will follow the comment period.
The NPCA has called for the rule to be withdrawn and for the BLM to maintain the protections added in 2024. The organization urges federal agencies to keep the bond amounts at the higher levels set by the 2024 rule and to preserve the public‑comment periods.
The final outcome of the proposal will depend on the responses received during the comment period and on any subsequent actions by the Interior Department. BLM will consider all comments before deciding whether to adopt the revisions.
Conservation groups fear that the removal of protections could lead to increased drilling activity near national parks and other sensitive public lands. The BLM’s decision will have implications for the environmental integrity of these lands and for the public’s ability to influence oil and gas leasing on federal property.
The next steps involve reviewing the public comments due by August 21 and then determining whether BLM will implement the proposed rule changes. The outcome will be closely watched by environmental groups, industry stakeholders, and the public.
