The Bureau of Land Management announced a December 2026 oil and gas lease sale offering 172 parcels covering approximately 249,573 acres of federal land in Wyoming, on Sept. 29.
The sale, scheduled for Dec. 9, is part of the administration’s continued push to expand energy production on federal lands. Wyoming is one of the top oil- and natural gas-producing states in the nation, and BLM-managed acreage is central to that output.
Industry bidders will have until the December sale date to submit bids on available parcels. The lease sale will be conducted competitively, with parcels awarded to the highest qualified bidder.
The offering is among the larger federal oil and gas lease sales in recent years and reflects the administration’s energy dominance agenda for public lands. Federal onshore oil and gas leasing has been a contentious policy area, with industry groups pushing for expanded access and environmental organizations challenging the climate and conservation impacts of fossil fuel development on public lands.
For Americans, the lease sale has implications for domestic energy production, federal royalty revenues that fund state and local programs, and the environmental footprint of oil and gas drilling in the American West. Federal royalties from oil and gas production on public lands generated billions of dollars in revenue for the U.S. Treasury in recent fiscal years.
Wyoming’s economy is heavily dependent on energy production, and the state’s congressional delegation has consistently advocated for expanded federal leasing. The state’s governor and legislature have supported federal policies that facilitate oil and gas development on BLM-managed lands.
Environmental groups are expected to challenge the sale, as they have done with similar leasing actions. Litigation over federal oil and gas lease sales has become routine, with courts evaluating whether agencies have adequately assessed the environmental and climate impacts of fossil fuel development.