The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), under the Department of the Interior (DOI), oversees the management of taxpayer-owned oil and gas resources within the federal onshore mineral estate. To facilitate development of these resources, BLM auctions leases to private entities.   

As the steward of these public resources, BLM is responsible for ensuring taxpayers receive fair compensation for leasing public lands. Recent reforms have modernized leasing practices that date back over a century, aiming to secure a fair return for taxpayers from the development of federally owned resources and protect against long-term liabilities. 

In 2024, BLM conducted 14 onshore oil and gas lease sales across nine states: Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. During these sales, BLM offered a total of 114,492 acres of federal land for development and successfully leased 76,516 acres—just over two-thirds of the acreage offered.