oil and gas leasing

The U.S. Congress made several updates to how federal lands should be leased for oil and gas activity, but dozens of conservation groups in our region say the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has yet to finalize those updates.

The leasing of public lands for oil and gas activity continues to be an extremely polarizing topic, with 17 conservation groups pushing back against the leasing in a lawsuit initiated by Wyoming and industry leaders.The heart of the issue began back when President Biden took office in 2021 and the sales were paused nationwide due to environmental concerns, with the exception of one sale which was held this past summer. Typically the sales are held every three months.

The saga of lawsuits over oil and gas lease sales on public land continues. On Monday, Dec. 5, two western agencies announced they are suing the federal government.

The state of Wyoming is challenging the federal government over canceled oil and gas lease sales, making it the second lawsuit over the matter.

Several groups are petitioning the federal government to change the bonding requirements for federal onshore oil and gas leasing, which could potentially cost industry companies more money.

A federal judge ruled that it was legal for the Biden administration to pause new oil and gas leasing on public land in Wyoming, potentially creating broad implications for the state’s energy industry.

Depending on where you are in the West, certain lands may be ideal for certain energy projects. The Southwest is good for solar, Wyoming has great wind resources and Nevada is ripe for geothermal development.However, according to a new report from the left-leaning Center for American Progress, oil and gas leasing often takes precedence no matter the location.

The Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) issued a letter of protest Wednesday, regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) reduction in oil and gas leases. Shortly after, conservation groups from eight states submitted their own letters of protest.

More than two dozen outdoor advocacy groups wrote the US Forest Service this week, asking it to remove almost 45,000 acres-worth of land in the Wyoming…