ARCHAEOLOGY SOUTHWEST
COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS
CONSERVATION COLORADO
CONSERVATIVES FOR RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP
DAKOTA RESOURCE COUNCIL * DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE
NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
NEVADA CONSERVATION LEAGUE
NEW MEXICO VOICES FOR CHILDREN
NEW MEXICO WILD * NUESTRA TIERRA CONSERVATION PROJECT
POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL * PUBLIC CITIZEN
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD * SAN LUIS VALLEY ECOSYSTEM COUNCIL
SIERRA CLUB * THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
WESTERN COLORADO ALLIANCE
WESTERN ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCE COUNCILS
WESTERN SLOPE CONSERVATION CENTER * WILD CONNECTIONS
WILD MONTANA * WILDERNESS WORKSHOP
More than 50 conservation, environmental-justice, public-health, recreation, wildlife, and community organizations representing millions of members are urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to withdraw its proposed oil and gas leasing rule and retain the protections established by the Bureau of Land Management’s 2024 Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process Rule.
In an August 24, 2026, letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and BLM Director Steve Pearce, the organizations warn that the proposal would reverse long-overdue reforms to the federal onshore oil and gas leasing program. They contend that the changes would reduce public participation, weaken financial protections for taxpayers, place sensitive public lands at risk, and diminish the rights of private landowners.
The letter raises four primary concerns:
Restricting public participation. The proposal would eliminate two 30-day opportunities for public input during environmental review, shorten advance notice of lease sales from 60 to 45 days, and reduce the protest period from 30 days to only 10 days. It would also charge the public $1 per page for protests exceeding 50 pages, including supporting documents. At the same time, the filing fee paid by oil and gas companies for competitive and noncompetitive leases would fall from $3,100 to $155. The groups argue that these changes would favor industry while making it harder for affected communities to participate in decisions about public lands.
Restoring outdated bonding rates. The proposed rule would reduce statewide bonds from $500,000 to $25,000 and individual lease bonds from $150,000 to $10,000. These lower requirements were established more than 50 years ago and do not reflect inflation or modern reclamation costs, which can average approximately $145,000 per well in high-cost cases.
The organizations note that federal lands contained an estimated 15,000 orphaned wells in 2024, along with at least 10,000 idled wells that could eventually be abandoned. Congress has already allocated $4.7 billion in taxpayer funds to clean up orphaned wells nationwide. The letter warns that reducing bonding requirements would make it easier for companies to leave unprofitable wells behind and transfer their cleanup obligations to the public.
Eliminating protections for valuable public lands. The 2024 rule created criteria for screening proposed lease parcels for conflicts with wildlife habitat, recreation, cultural resources, and Native American sacred sites. Eliminating those criteria, the groups argue, would promote speculative leasing and expose lands with important conservation, cultural, and recreational values to unnecessary development risks.
Weakening private-property protections. More than 57 million acres are “split estate,” where the federal government owns the mineral rights but private individuals own the surface. Since 2009, BLM has been required to notify landowners before offering the minerals beneath their property for leasing. The proposed rule would eliminate both that notice and the requirement that lease nominations identify affected property owners.
The organizations conclude that the proposal would revive a discredited leasing system that places industry profits ahead of taxpayers, landowners, communities, wildlife, and responsible public-land stewardship. They are calling on the Interior Department to withdraw the proposal and continue implementing the fiscal, environmental, and public-participation safeguards adopted in 2024.
Click here to read the full letter.