July 16, 2026
|
U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
Re: Comments on Draft EA and FONSI for the Montana-Dakotas and Wyoming Q4 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Parcel Sales (DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2026-0003-EA & DOI-BLM-WY- 0000-2026-0007-EA)
The Western Environmental Law Center, along with Badlands Conservation Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Montana Environmental Information Center, WildEarth Guardians, and Wyoming Outdoor Council (“Commenters”), submit the following comments on the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) Montana-Dakotas and Wyoming Q4 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Parcel Sales (“Lease Sales”). These sales include 20 nominated parcels of Federal minerals administered by the Montana-Dakotas State Office and 284 nominated parcels of Federal minerals administered by the Wyoming State Office.1A list of parcel numbers and serial numbers referenced in this comment letter is attached as Appendix A to this comment. A list of all exhibits to this comment is attached as Appendix B. Exhibits referenced herein and itemized in Appendix B and Appendix D were provided on a USB drive sent under separate cover via FedEx, postmarked to the Montana/Dakotas State Office on April 22, 2026 and delivered on April 24, 2026, and postmarked to the Wyoming State Office on April 24, 2026 delivered on April 27, 2026, see delivery proof, Appendix C. Supplemental comments for each sale are provided in Appendix D.
As detailed in our letter, Commenters outline necessary components of an environmental review that must occur before BLM’s proposed lease sales to meet its statutory obligations under NEPA, including informed decision-making and public disclosure, and under other substantive environmental laws.
SYNOPSIS
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks joined six conservation organizations in submitting detailed comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed fourth-quarter 2026 oil and gas lease sales in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The sales encompass 20 nominated parcels administered by the Montana-Dakotas State Office and 284 parcels administered by the Wyoming State Office.
The organizations urge BLM to defer all proposed parcels until it completes a comprehensive, programmatic environmental review of the federal oil and gas leasing program. The comments argue that BLM’s draft environmental assessments and proposed findings of no significant impact do not adequately evaluate cumulative greenhouse-gas and methane emissions, climate consequences, air and water pollution, public-health and environmental-justice concerns, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, or the combined effects of federal fossil-fuel development. The letter also calls for meaningful consideration of alternatives—including no leasing, a managed decline in fossil-fuel production, stronger groundwater protections, and measures to prevent methane venting and flaring.
Of particular concern are parcels near Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness. The commenters maintain that BLM has failed to assess the cumulative effects of nearby energy development on the park’s scenic views, clean air, dark night skies, natural soundscape, wilderness character, wildlife, and visitor experience. They also contend that BLM is relying on an outdated 1988 North Dakota resource management plan that predates modern Bakken oil development and hydraulic fracturing.
The letter calls on BLM to suspend leasing near the park until the North Dakota management plan is comprehensively revised and to evaluate a deferral or three-mile protective-buffer alternative. It also raises concerns about four parcels near the Maah Daah Hey Trail, where drilling could introduce industrial noise and visual intrusions into an area valued for its scenery, quiet, and backcountry recreation.
Click here to read the full letter.