BLM Seeks Comments on June 2026 Utah Oil and Gas Lease Sale

The Bureau of Land Management’s Salt Lake City ePlanning notice reported that the agency “opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 39 oil and gas parcels totaling 54,114 acres that may be included in a June 2026 lease sale in Utah.” The notice lists Jan. 15, 2026 as the end date for that scoping period and says parcel maps and instructions on how to comment are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website.

The BLM’s public materials repeat the agency leasing framework: “Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans. The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.” The materials also state that “All parcels that are included in a federal oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources.” The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land and administers roughly 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate.

A separate agency announcement on Feb. 27, 2026 noted that the BLM had opened a 30-day public comment period to solicit input on parcels under consideration for a federal oil and gas lease sale scheduled for June 2026; the Feb. 27 notice does not specify which state parcels it references. The Utah ePlanning item and the Feb. 27 announcement describe distinct comment and scoping windows in the BLM’s multi-state leasing work, so the Utah notice’s Jan. 15, 2026 end date should be read as the closing for that specific Salt Lake City scoping period.

In Nevada, the BLM’s Reno press release used explicit timelines and counts: “The Bureau of Land Management today opened a 30-day public comment period to receive public input on plans to include four oil and gas parcels totaling 10,211 acres in Nevada in a June 23, 2026 sale.” That release states the BLM completed scoping on the Nevada parcels in December 2025 and sets the Nevada comment period end date as March 19, 2026; the release also says, “The BLM will use input from the public to help complete its review of each parcel.” The Nevada materials note that BLM lease sales are held online through EnergyNet and that information on current and upcoming BLM leases is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.

The Federal Register excerpt on Coastal Plain leasing provides the regulatory backdrop for related Alaska action, citing 43 CFR 3131.2 and the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision signed by the Secretary of the Interior on October 23, 2025, as implementing direction from Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025. That Federal Register filing is identified as FR Doc. 2026-02181; filed 2-2-26; 8:45 am. The Alaska notice names Kevin J. Pendergast as State Director and gives submission and contact details: mail or email nominations and comments to the State Director, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK 99513-7504 or to BLM_AKSO_AK932_AKLeasesales@blm.gov, and lists Wayne Svejnoha, BLM Alaska Energy and Minerals Branch Chief, as a point of contact at 907-271-4407 and email wsvejnoh@blm.gov. The Federal Register also warns that comments, including addresses and phone numbers, “may be made publicly available at any time.”

BLM materials make parcel maps and comment instructions available on the agency’s ePlanning website, point to EnergyNet for online lease sale mechanics, and reference the National Fluid Lease Sale System for listings. With June 2026 identified as the month for the targeted lease sales and a specific Nevada sale date of June 23, 2026, the agency’s next steps after leasing remain the permit-to-drill review, public posting of APD materials, and environmental analysis as described in the BLM’s procedural statements.