The U.S. Forest Service announced revisions to its oil and gas leasing rules on Tuesday that the agency promises “modernizes and streamlines” the permitting process to drill for fossil fuels in the nation’s forests and grasslands. The changes prompted the ire of environmental groups that say it is the latest in a year’s worth of attacks on public lands protections by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The regulations being updated govern how the Forest Service reviews lands it manages that could be included in an oil and gas leasing auction conducted by the Bureau of Land Management, the agency usually responsible for managing minerals on federal lands. Some of the changes mean the Forest Service will no longer analyze areas for lease on a parcel-by-parcel basis. Instead, the agency will defer to a broader, National Environmental Policy Act-compliant environmental review, which can sometimes cover millions of acres, to determine whether to allow drilling.
“These new rules provide the certainty needed to boost production, slash energy costs, and guarantee our global leadership,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “By streamlining permitting and cutting bureaucracy, we are lowering costs for families, creating jobs, and securing our nation all while protecting our public lands.”
Renewable energy sources like utility scale solar and wind are the cheapest way to produce electricity. But Trump’s cabinet and congressional Republicans have made shrinking, selling or otherwise privatizing public lands a priority during lawmaking negotiations and administrative actions during the past year.
The American Petroleum Institute welcomed the updated rules. “This final rule is an important step toward greater transparency and efficiency between federal agencies, helping ensure timely, responsible development of America’s oil and natural gas resources while maintaining strong environmental protections on Forest Service lands,” said Holly Hopkins, the institute’s vice president of upstream policy. “By streamlining interagency processes and providing greater regulatory certainty, the rule supports future investment and strengthens U.S. energy leadership and security.”
Environmental groups argued the changes would “grease the skids” for oil and gas developers applying to drill in national forests and grasslands while reducing transparency around how such decisions are made. Some pointed out that losing parcel-by-parcel environmental reviews may cause the agency to miss sensitive habitat where additional constraints not accounted for in the larger environmental review may be warranted.
“That very close look is not going to happen anymore,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s going to be more like a check-the-box exercise.”
Oil and gas production on federal lands plateaued in 2025 after reaching highs under former President Joe Biden’s administration, according to federal data. With oil prices falling below $60 a barrel under Trump and drilling rig counts declining from the highs they reached in 2022, some have wondered whether there is the appetite in the fossil fuel industry for more drilling on public lands.
“This is another wasteful handout to big pollution at the expense of clean air and water that millions of Americans depend on for survival,” said Josh Axelrod, senior program advocate at the National Resources Defense Council.
“We need healthy forests. They provide us with clean air and water, the freedom of outdoor recreation and much more, but it’s no secret that this administration has no interest in protecting these values,” said Josh Hicks, conservation campaign director for the Wilderness Society, in a statement.
“Instead, they are finding literally every avenue to privatize more of our public lands for logging, roadbuilding, drilling and development. The U.S. Forest Service’s Oil and Gas Leasing Rule is the latest attack to our national forests and we will continue to fight any effort that aims to dismantle critical protections that keep these precious ecosystems healthy now and for future generations.”
The rule will be published tomorrow and is scheduled to go into effect in 30 days.
