Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** New dashboard tracks federal oil and gas leasing under Trump
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Wednesday, May 29, 2025
Oil and gas infrastructure on BLM land in San Joaquin Valley, California. John Ciccarelli/BLM ([link removed])
The Center for Western Priorities is excited to present a new dashboard ([link removed]) that tracks oil and gas leasing and drilling on public lands during the Trump administration. Under the Biden administration, the BLM made many improvements to the federal leasing system ([link removed]) . These reforms resulted in more targeted lease sales that directed companies to drill in areas with high energy potential and low environmental sensitivity, and they brought in more money per acre than the fire sale auctions held during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Between legislative proposals and administrative actions, the current Trump administration is set to take the irresponsible leasing practices that were rampant under the first Trump administration to the extreme. Westerners overwhelmingly oppose these changes ([link removed]) , which would reduce local input on land management decisions, prioritize oil and gas over all other uses of public land, rollback safeguards for wildlife habitat, threaten clean water, hunting, fishing, and other recreation opportunities, and hurt taxpayers.
The dashboard ([link removed]) illustrates the outcomes of the responsible leasing that has occurred since the Biden-era reforms went into place and will track the outcomes of the irresponsible leasing that is set to occur under the Trump administration. It includes data on how many acres of public land are offered at auction and how many are leased each year, how many unused leased acres and permits are currently held by the oil and gas industry, how much oil and gas is produced on federal lands each year, and the average price per acre of leased public land each year.
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is still ugly for public lands
Last week, the House passed a version of the budget reconciliation bill that would be devastating for public lands, despite having slashed a handful of the most egregious provisions. In a new Westwise blog post ([link removed]) , Center for Western Priorities Communications Manager Kate Groetzinger describes the major attacks on our nation’s public lands that remain as the bill heads to the Senate.
** Quick hits
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Friends of Bridger-Teton hires trail crew to help depleted agency
Jackson Hole News & Guide ([link removed])
A fence around a billionaire’s ranch leads to new Colorado law
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
‘Black box’: What exactly is Trump’s energy council doing?
E&E News ([link removed])
A Trump proposal to redefine ‘harm’ could have outsized consequences in Alaska
KTOO ([link removed])
See them while you can: Trump’s policies threaten America’s national parks and public lands
Center for American Progress ([link removed])
Opinion: Energy dominance harms our public lands
Writers on the Range ([link removed])
How to visit crowded (and underfunded) national parks this summer
Outside ([link removed])
Trump pledged to “make America healthy again,” then cut a program many Tribes rely on for healthy food
ProPublica ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Alaska owns a very high percentage of protected areas, like national parks. People want to see about the wonders of nature and of the environment—if you get away from that and turn it into a mining state where everything can be done, everything can be drilled, then we lose that market.”
—Falk Huettmann, wildlife biologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, KTOO ([link removed])
** Picture This
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[link removed]
@newmexicopubliclands ([link removed])
Happy World Otter Day! 🦦
Wait, otters in New Mexico?! Yep, you read that right.
We helped NM Game and Fish release these playful and yes, adorable, creatures into the Río Grande between 2008 and 2010, and their population continues to grow 🥹
Have you seen one?
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