The Biden administration has proposed a maximum of three offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico’s (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for the 2024-2029 period. The long-awaited, proposed final program entails “the fewest oil and gas lease sales in history,” Department of the Interior (DOI) officials said upon releasing the five-year…
Leases
Articles from Leases
Wyoming Nets $13.2M for Oil, Natural Gas Leases in Powder River, Green River
The latest Wyoming oil and natural gas lease sale garnered $13.2 million for more than 35,700 acres in the Powder River and Green River basins, and at least two more quarterly lease sales are planned. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offered 81 parcels in the quarterly sale, with 53 sold. The highest bid per…
Ohio’s Natural Gas, Oil Property Taxes Lifting State Coffers
Natural gas and oil operations in eight Ohio counties alone provided $364 million in property taxes between 2010 and 2021, with taxes in 2020 and 2021 reaching record highs. Ohio’s top ranking counties for property tax generation in 2021, the most recent year for data, were Belmont ($17.26 million), Jefferson ($11.19 million) and Monroe ($10.63…
Natural Gas May Compete with Conservation in BLM’s Proposed Land Management Shift
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to change how public lands are managed to put conservation on equal footing as other uses, including oil and natural gas extraction. The BLM plan for conservation leasing would entail a time-limited lease of public land that allows interested organizations to conduct specific restoration or mitigation activities.…
BLM’s Proposed Land Management Shift to Add Conservation Leasing
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to change how public lands are managed to put conservation on equal footing as other uses, including oil and natural gas extraction. The BLM plan for conservation leasing would entail a time-limited lease of public land that allows interested organizations to conduct specific restoration or mitigation activities.…
Court Cites Flawed Emissions Analysis in Rejecting Federal Offshore Oil, Natural Gas Auction
A U.S. district court on Thursday vacated the results from last November’s oil and natural gas auction in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), citing an outdated emissions analysis by the Trump administration. In the ruling, considered a major victory for environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras of the District of Columbia invalidated Lease Sale…
Activist Groups Seeking to Nullify November’s GOM Oil, Gas Lease Sale
The federal oil and gas auction held last month for tracts in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is being challenged by activist groups that are seeking “any and all communications” regarding the sale since President Biden took office in January. Lease Sale 257, the eighth offshore auction and first in a year, was overseen last…
Biden Administration Complies with Court, Schedules GOM Oil & Gas Lease Sale for November
The Biden administration said it would continue to review the “deficiencies” in the federal oil and gas leasing programs, but to comply with a court order, it is holding a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) sale in November. Shortly after taking office in January, President Biden ordered a review of the federal oil and gas leasing…
Critics Say Biden ‘Slow Walks’ Compliance with Court Order to Resume Federal Oil, Natural Gas Lease Sales
The U.S. government confirmed in a court filing it would resume federal oil and gas lease sales — and established a timeline — to comply with a ruling that called for an end to the Biden administration’s moratorium. Critics, however, noted that Biden administration officials intend to stretch the process out over several months as…
API, Energy Trade Groups Sue to End Oil and Gas Leasing Pause on Federal Lands, Waters
A consortium of oil and gas industry groups said Monday they had sued the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to reverse its decision this year to indefinitely freeze oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands and waters. In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the…