The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed sweeping revisions to its oil and gas leasing regulations, citing new legislative mandates and White House directives aimed at expanding domestic energy production on public lands.

Published in the Federal Register on June 24, 2026, the proposed rule would implement requirements from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) and align the agency's leasing process with Executive Orders including "Unleashing American Energy," "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Initiative," and "Modernizing Payments To and From America's Bank Account." The agency's proposed changes also implement policy guidance from a Secretary's Order titled "Unleashing American Energy."

A central provision of the proposal would return the minimum bond amounts for oil and gas leases to levels that existed prior to a 2024 regulatory update — a change industry stakeholders have sought since those prior thresholds were first raised.

The proposal also incorporates provisions of the Royalty Resiliency Act, which addresses applications for oil and gas agreements using allocation schedules to distribute royalties across multiple leases within a given agreement.

BLM says the combined changes are intended to streamline the leasing process, improve stewardship of public lands under the Mineral Leasing Act, and reduce regulatory burden consistent with deregulatory executive direction from the current administration.

Public comments on the proposed rule are expected to be accepted through a standard comment period.

Source: Federal Register