Federal taxpayers collectively own rich mineral resources across the United States. It is the responsibility of the Bureau of Land Management, an agency under the Department of the Interior (DOI), to oversee the vast subsurface mineral estate and to manage the development of those resources. Despite the massive value of federally owned oil and gas resources, taxpayers receive minimal returns due to outdated and below-market federal onshore leasing terms. 

Issues within the onshore leasing system, including below-market rental and royalty rates, have cost taxpayers $742 million in lost revenue over the last decade in Utah. Additionally, outdated bonding policies – funds secured so that any environmental liabilities from drilling can be remediated – are woefully insufficient for the scale of orphaned oil and gas wells awaiting recovery. In Utah, these outdated systems and policies have saddled taxpayers with a potential bill of $191 million in reclamation costs from currently producing wells on federal lands.    

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