The US Department of the Interior announced an update to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy designed to expedite the oil and gas leasing process on public lands. Through a newly issued Instruction Memorandum “Oil and Gas Leasing—Land Use Planning and Lease Parcel Reviews,” the BLM said it is committing to faster lease parcel reviews by aiming to complete the entire process within 6 months. This streamlined approach is expected to increase the availability of onshore federal lands for leasing, reduce bureaucratic delays, and enhance public engagement.

With the updated policy, the BLM expects to complete parcel review and offer parcels in an oil and gas lease sale within a 6-month timeframe from the start of scoping until the lease sale. State offices with eligible parcels are expected to plan for a lease sale as soon as practical, with the recognition that this timeframe accounts for public participation.

To meet its goal, the BLM will no longer defer parcels before completing all National Environmental Policy Act reviews. This will allow oil and gas lease parcel reviews to be conducted and documented simultaneously with the National Energy Policy Act compliance process. The BLM’s review of lease sale parcels also will be based on existing land management policy and resource management plans.  

The BLM is required by statute to hold quarterly lease sales when eligible lands are available for lease. Upon reviewing the sales held in the previous 2 years, the BLM’s timeframe for parcel review varied between 8 and 15 months.