The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), leases federal lands to private companies for the purpose of oil and gas development. Revenue derived from oil and gas production on federal lands is an important source of income for the treasury. But the current leasing and royalty collection system disproportionately benefits industry at the expense of taxpayers–minimizing returns and locking up federal lands.

Learn more about oil and gas development on federal lands and special interest tax breaks through the resources below.

• Click here for Federal Lands
• Click here for Tax

Federal Lands

At the end of fiscal year 2017, half of all federal acreage set aside for oil and gas leasing was tied up in non-producing leases, locking out other potential uses.

• Case Study: Taxpayers Lose in Noncompetitive Montana Lease Sale
• Report: Federal Oil and Gas Leasing: Getting a Fair Return from Rental Rates
• Graphic: Acres Offered in Federal Gas & Oil Lease Sales
• Graphic: Acreage Offered For Lease is Up from Four Year Average
• Report: The Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Process
• Fact Sheet: Arctic Refuge Leasing Revenues Don’t Add Up 
• Report: The Cost of Speculation in Federal Oil and Gas Leases

Tax

The oil and gas industry has enjoyed special tax preferences since the early 20th Century. Read our analyses of the more than $70 billion in oil and gas tax subsidies still on the books.

• Analysis: Billions in Energy Tax Subsidies Left on the Books
• Report: Understanding Oil and Gas Subsidies
• Analysis: Effective Tax Rates of Oil & Gas Companies: Cashing in on Special Treatment
• Fact Sheet: Just the facts about the Effective Tax Rate for Oil & Gas Companies
• Report: Subsidy Gusher – Taxpayers Stuck With Massive Subsidies While Oil and Gas Profits Soar
• Report: Big Oil, Big Profits