150+ Elected Officials Oppose Changes to BLM Oil and Gas Rule

Local, tribal, and state elected officials across 10 states say Interior Department proposal threatens democratic rights and the public lands that support their communities

More than 150 local, tribal, and state elected officials signed a letter sent today to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), urging federal leaders to reject proposed changes to BLM’s Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rule.

County commissioners, mayors, city and town council members, and state legislators signed the letter, organized by Western Leaders Network. The letter reflects broad, cross-ideological concern over the proposal, with signers who represent both rural and urban communities across 10 states and over 100 local jurisdictions and legislative districts.

In June, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposal to make significant changes to a 2024 rule that governs oil and gas leasing on BLM-managed public lands and subsurface mineral estate. Emphasizing the role public lands play in supporting their local economies, community health, and livelihoods, elected officials who signed the letter objected to the proposed revisions, including:

Narrowing public comment opportunities on proposed lease sales from a total of 90 days to 10
Eliminating the requirement to notify landowners about plans to lease federally owned or managed minerals beneath their property
Lowering bond amounts back to levels set in the 1950s and 1960s, increasing the risk of orphan wells and leaving taxpayers responsible for cleanup costs
Slashing lease application fees, making it cheaper and easier to drill on public lands than almost all state or private lands
Eliminating preference criteria, which directed leasing away from wildlife habitat, cultural sites, and other sensitive landscapes

“BLM’s proposal, as written, undermines democratic values by cutting the public out of the lease sale process, denies private property owners fair notice, undercuts taxpayers, and opens the door to all the environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts that come with unfettered development of federal public lands,” the letter states. “On behalf of our constituents and communities, we urge you not to adopt the provisions outlined in this letter, and instead support a balanced approach to public lands management.”

The elected officials’ concerns were submitted to the Federal Register as part of the proposed rule’s public comment period, which closes today.

“Elected officials across our network represent very different communities and interests, but they can agree that silencing public participation in decisions that affect the lands where they live, work, and play, and leaving split-estate landowners in the dark about development on their own property, are fundamentally anti-democratic and at odds with American values,” said Jessica Pace, Interim Executive Director of Western Leaders Network. “This isn't just about losing reasonable fees and guardrails that protect the natural resources local governments and their constituents rely on. It's about our democracy and the public’s right to have a real voice in the federal land use decisions that shape their communities.”

The current Oil and Gas Rule, finalized in 2024, updated federal onshore oil and gas leasing regulations for the first time in four decades. These updates included modernizing royalty and rental rates, minimum bids, and financial assurance requirements to ensure oil and gas corporations pay a fair price to develop publicly owned resources. An analysis of a sample of the 260,000 public comments submitted on the rule found that it was overwhelmingly supported by the public.

Click here to read the full letter, and contact jess@westernleaders.org if you’re interested in being connected with any of the signers.

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Western Leaders Network harnesses the power of local, tribal, and state elected officials to address the climate crisis, advance conservation initiatives, and protect democracy.