Contact:
- Corey Fisher, Public Lands Policy Director, Trout Unlimited – tasha.sorensen@tu.org
- Emily Olsen, Vice President of Rocky Mountains, Trout Unlimited – Emily.olsen@tu.org
- Zoe Bommarito, National Communications Director, Trout Unlimited – zoe.bommarito@tu.org | 517-604-1844
The Bureau of Land Management has proposed a new Oil and Gas Leasing Rule that would reduce public participation in leasing decisions and rescind safeguards that helped protect sensitive fish and wildlife habitat on public lands.
The proposal eliminates leasing preference criteria established in 2024 that helped direct oil and gas development away from sensitive habitats and lands with little development potential. It would also significantly reduce opportunities for public engagement by removing early scoping and pre-sale review processes. Lastly, the proposal would eliminate updated bonding requirements put in place to ensure that bonds are sufficient to pay for the full cost of reclaiming lands and waters impacted by energy development.
“Public lands belong to all Americans, and decisions about their future should reflect the voices of the people who use and care for these places.” said Corey Fisher, Public Lands Policy Director for Trout Unlimited. “The proposed rule removes important opportunities for hunters, anglers, local communities, and conservationists to constructively weigh in before leasing decisions are made. Local knowledge can help steer development away from sensitive fish and wildlife habitat and reduce conflict, outcomes that we can all support.”
The proposal would also expand the Bureau’s authority to suspend leases, allowing companies to retain leases for extended periods without development while preventing those leases from expiring.
“Responsible energy development and healthy fish and wildlife populations can coexist on public lands,” said Emily Olsen, VP for Rocky Mountains at Trout Unlimited. “The leasing reforms adopted in 2024 helped prioritize development in appropriate places while reducing pressure on important trout streams, big game habitat, and other sensitive landscapes across the West. This proposal moves in the opposite direction by removing commonsense safeguards and making it harder to ensure conservation values are considered before leases are issued.”
Trout Unlimited has long supported a balanced, multiple-use approach to public lands management that provides opportunities for responsible energy development while safeguarding the fish and wildlife resources that support America’s hunting and fishing traditions.
The proposal triggers a 60-day comment period, ending on August 24, 2026. Submit your comment to the BLM: https://www.tu.org/conservation/action-center/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f138310%2fRespond
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Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization working to care for and recover rivers and streams and their trout and salmon populations. We bring people together across the country to be champions for their rivers and help make our water cleaner and our communities healthier. Founded by a small band of Michigan anglers in 1959, we have grown into a national organization with more than 350 staff, 400 chapters, and 300,000 members and supporters. We bring science-driven restoration know-how, state and national policy muscle, and local volunteer energy to bear on behalf of clean water, healthy trout and salmon and thriving communities.