BLM delivers on administration priorities

Under President Trump’s second term, the Bureau of Land Management is making major strides in putting America’s public lands to work for the American people. From boosting domestic energy production to cutting red tape and expanding access to natural resources, the BLM is ensuring that public lands support jobs, economic growth, and American Energy Dominance. Here’s a look at what the BLM accomplished in just the first nine months. 

Policy 

The BLM ended preferential treatment for wind and solar energy; implemented the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to boost U.S. energy production, timber development, and regulatory reforms; moved to update sage grouse plan amendments to balance habitat stewardship with expanded access for energy and mining development; advanced efforts to restore sensible multiple-use management by proposing to rescind the Public Lands Rule; and adopted 102 categorical exclusions from other agencies to streamline management of minerals, realty, forests, fire, wild horses and burros, recreation, wildlife, resource protection, and address emergencies.

Deregulation

To reduce red tape, promote mineral development, and support American energy independence, the BLM rolled back outdated rules that made it harder to develop resources on public lands. These changes helped cut costs, speed up permitting, and encourage job growth in energy and mining. By simplifying regulations, the BLM made it easier for businesses to operate while still protecting public lands.

Coal

The BLM administers coal leasing across 570 million acres of public lands which currently includes 273 federal coal leases encompassing 404,847 acres in 11 states. On September 29, the bureau announced the opening of 13.1 million more acres of federal land for coal leasing, tripling benchmarks set by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and delivering on President Trump’s directive to restore American Energy Dominance. Between Jan. 20 – Sept. 30, 2025, the BLM generated $47,002,288 during four sales offering 82.6 million tons of available federal coal across 15,920 acres at Freedom and Falkirk mines in North Dakota and two Warrior Met mines in Alabama; advanced coal lease sales offering a total of nearly 609 million tons of federal coal across 4,882 acres in Montana, Utah, and Wyoming; is considering potential updates to coal leasing in Montana and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin; announced the West Antelope III coal lease sale for 365 million tons of recoverable federal coal across 3,508 acres in Wyoming; proposed the BLM’s first coal exploration project nationally since 2019 at Muddy Creek Canyon in Utah; increased economic viability at five mines by approving royalty rate reductions in Colorado, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming; and rescinded former Interior Secretary Jewell's 2016 coal leasing moratorium; all in support of Secretary Doug Burgum’s efforts to restore the coal industry and President Trump’s executive orders to strengthen U.S. energy production and reinvigorate the coal industry.

Oil and Gas

Currently, there are more than 22.2 million acres of BLM-managed lands under lease for oil and gas development and production. Between Jan. 20 – Sept. 30, 2025, the BLM held 16 lease sales and generated over $187 million by leasing 206 parcels totaling 165,681 acres across 10 states (Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). The BLM also took steps to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential and expand oil and gas development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve; ended the requirement to prepare environmental impact statements for approximately 3,224 oil and gas leases across 3.5 million acres in seven Western states; streamlined the oil and gas leasing process on public lands; and updated rules for commingling, or combining oil or gas from multiple sources for more efficient measurement and processing, to align with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The BLM also approved 4,595 new oil and gas permits and has approved more Applications for Permits to Drill since January 20 than in any other fiscal year over the past 15 years.

Pipelines

In Montana, the BLM approved the 74-mile, 16-inch buried Helena to Three Forks natural gas pipeline. In Nevada, the BLM approved the 16-mile, 24-inch buried Pinyon Pipeline and associated facilities connecting the Ruby Pipeline to the Valmy Power Plant. In Idaho, the BLM approved the relocation and burial of a 1,500 foot, 6-inch natural gas pipeline beneath the Snake River near American Falls to meet increased industrial demand. In Utah, the BLM approved two, less than 1 mile, 12-inch surface Randlett to Aurora interconnect natural gas pipelines connecting existing wells to the Timberline Compressor Station; the 3.5-mile, 12-inch buried Park Mountain natural gas pipeline connecting existing pipelines to the Park Canyon Compressor; and the less than 1 mile, 16-inch buried Chapita Wells natural gas pipeline, a six-inch liquids pipeline, and a fiber optic line from the planned Green River Slug Catcher Facility to the existing Chipeta Processing Plant.

Transmission Lines

The BLM approved the 40-acre, 230-kilovolt Sapphire gen-tie in Chuckwalla Valley to deliver up to 117 megawatts of energy daily to Riverside County, California, and the 21-mile, 120-kilovolt New York Canyon gen-tie near Lovelock to deliver up to 20 megawatts of energy daily to Pershing County, Nevada.

Geothermal

The BLM generated $13,240,974 million by leasing 38 parcels totaling 103,236 acres in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah geothermal lease sales; implemented emergency permitting procedures; approved the 30-megawatt Crescent Valley geothermal project in Nevada and 20-megawatt Newcastle geothermal project in Utah; and approved expedited permitting for the McGinness Hills upgrade and expansion, and Diamond Flat and Pinto resource confirmation geothermal projects in Nevada.

Minerals

The BLM advanced five of the Trump Administration’s first FAST-41 critical mineral production projects. In Arizona, the BLM approved gold mining at Rogers Wash and mineral exploration at Copper Creek. In California, the BLM approved expanded limestone mining facilities at Chubbuck Mine; the Mesa Gold mining operation in Kern County; clinoptilolite exploration near Death Valley Junction; and recognized that the Colosseum Mine, on National Park Service managed lands, America’s second rare earth elements mine, can continue operations. In Idaho, the BLM approved expansion of the PDZ and Teague zeolite mines. In Missouri, the BLM approved 36 lease renewals for five active mines at Doe Run producing lead, zinc, and copper. In Montana, the BLM approved sapphire mining at McCune Bar near Hauser Lake. In Nevada, the BLM approved lithium exploration in Nye, Elko, and Esmeralda counties; gold mining at County Line, Ruby Hill, and Spring Valley; and gold exploration at Smoky Valley and for Gemfield Resources and Kinross Gold to explore near Goldfield. In Utah, BLM approved uranium and vanadium mining at Velvet-Wood and potash mining at Sevier Playa. In Wyoming, the BLM approved trona mining at Dry Creek and bentonite mining at Greasewood Creek. 

Timber

More than 20 percent of BLM-managed lands are forest and woodland ecosystems, including 2.4 million acres in western Oregon of some of the most productive forests in the world. Between Jan. 20 – Sept. 30, 2025, the BLM held 44 sales offering 218,974 million board feet of timber across 13,277 public acres in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming. These advertised timber sales generated a total of $56,803,367; which was $9,088,566 above the cumulative appraised values. The BLM is also developing plans for additional timber sales to meet volume target increases of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Land Sales/Conveyances/Transfers

In Alaska, the BLM conveyed nearly 28,000 public acres to NANA Regional Corporation, bringing NANA’s total ANCSA entitlement to over 713,000 acres—now 96% complete. In Colorado, the BLM sold 31 public acres to Clifton County at fair market value under the Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields Act. In Nevada, the BLM sold eight parcels totaling about 42 acres in the Las Vegas Valley for $16,575,000 ($1,240,000 above fair market value) under SNPLMA. In Utah, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum joined state leaders to finalize the Emery County Land Exchange under the Dingell Act to transfer 47 water rights, 83,000 acres of sub-surface mineral estate, 4,000 surface-only acres, and 5,000 acres of mineral, oil, gas, and coal-only estate from the BLM to the state. The BLM also exchanged 929 public acres for 89 public acres in Washington County to support future water management.

Securing the Border

The BLM protected resources along the U.S.-Mexico border through withdrawals and transferred the lands for three years to the U.S. military for security operations. In April the BLM transferred 109,651 acres in New Mexico to the U.S. Army; and in Arizona the BLM transferred 285 acres in July and 203 acres in September to the U.S. Navy.

Recreation & Public Access

The BLM transferred 618 acres of small, isolated parcels within state parks to the State of Utah, consolidating ownership to improve visitor experience through more consistent management. BLM collaborated with the Foundation for America’s Public Lands to fund 10 recreation and access projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming totaling $1 million of direct investments bringing in $4 million in matching funds from state recreation offices and similar partnerships. Projects include shooting ranges, campgrounds, trail heads, and accessibility improvements to enhance outdoor recreation for the American public. The BLM began implementing the EXPLORE Act in February, launching efforts across directorates and expanding staff to support the work. A dedicated “core team” was established to lead, coordinate, and track progress on each section of the act. Guidance for field offices and streamlined procedures are currently under review for key areas such as range access and special recreation permits, among others, to ensure the BLM meets upcoming legislative deadlines.

Fire

As DOI’s largest and most complex fire program, BLM Fire is responsible for fire protection on approximately 650 million acres. Since January 20, BLM has managed 2,093 fires across 910,000 acres burned. The BLM also treated 928,000 acres to reduce wildfire risk on America's public lands. Working alongside partners and in local communities, BLM firefighters tackle treatment projects using chemical, biological, manual, and mechanical methods, along with prescribed fire.

The Bureau of Land Management remains committed to delivering results that streamline processes, expand access, and ensures America’s public lands continue to serve the nation’s energy, economic, and strategic needs. With more work ahead, the BLM stands ready to continue implementing President Trump and Secretary Burgum’s multiple use agenda by managing public lands in a way that supports prosperity and security.