A coalition of environmental and park-protection organizations is urging the Bureau of Land Management to defer all 23 parcels in the proposed Montana-Dakotas Q2 2026 oil and gas lease sale until the agency completes a far more comprehensive environmental review.
The Western Environmental Law Center, joined by the Center for Biological Diversity, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Montana Environmental Information Center, National Parks Conservation Association, Waterkeeper Alliance, and WildEarth Guardians, has filed a formal protest of the Bureau of Land Management’s Montana-Dakotas Q2 2026 oil and gas lease sale. The protest covers 23 nominated federal mineral parcels in North Dakota and South Dakota.
The groups argue that BLM should not move forward with new leasing until it completes a broader, program-level environmental review under NEPA, FLPMA, the ESA, and related laws. In their view, the agency has not adequately analyzed the cumulative climate, wildlife, air, water, and public-land impacts of continued federal fossil fuel leasing. They contend that each new lease would lock in additional greenhouse gas emissions at a time when climate science points in the opposite direction.
A major theme of the protest is climate accountability. The filing argues that federal fossil fuel development already contributes significantly to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and that BLM must examine whether continued leasing is compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C. The groups call for a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and for alternatives that include no leasing and a managed decline of fossil fuel production on federal lands.
The protest also raises place-based concerns. It highlights potential impacts near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including threats to clean air, dark night skies, wilderness character, viewsheds, wildlife, and visitor experience. The filing argues that outdated land-use planning in North Dakota is not sufficient to address modern oil and gas development impacts near the park.
In addition, the groups say BLM should analyze stronger protections for groundwater and require meaningful methane controls. Their requested alternatives include pre-leasing groundwater review, stronger casing and cementing safeguards, and lease conditions that minimize venting, flaring, and methane waste through proven technology and enforceable restrictions.
The protest’s bottom line is clear: defer the sale, complete a legally adequate cumulative review, and fully consider alternatives that protect climate, water, wildlife, public lands, and nearby national park resources before any new leases are issued.
Click here to read the full letter.