Facts about Federal Energy Leasing and Development


Over the past 15 years, energy production on Federal lands has increased, while at the same time the land surface leased for oil and gas development has decreased. Some facts about oil and gas leasing on Federal lands are shown below. Additional information is listed in the box on the right.

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Facts About Federal Energy Leasing and Development

The BLM manages nearly 700 million acres* of mineral estate.  But only about 12 million acres are capable of producing and gas.  Of that, only about 470,000 acres (0.07%) are directly disturbed by oil and gas activities.

About 688 million acres are areas not within oil and gas producing leases. The remaining areas are less than 2% of the total.


* In addition to 258 million surface acres, the BLM administers the Federal mineral estate beneath that acreage.  The Bureau also manages mineral estate administered by other Federal agencies. This acreage includes areas where either the BLM or other federal agencies manage the surface, as well as areas where the surface is privately owned.