The Bureau of Land Management has opened a 30-day public comment period on 284 oil and gas parcels covering 378,305 acres in Wyoming, moving the tract toward a lease sale planned for December 2026. Comments are due by Aug. 5, 2026.
BLM completed scoping on the parcels in May 2026 and is now taking public input on the parcels themselves and the environmental analysis tied to them. The agency says it will use that input to finish its review of each parcel before the sale.
What's up for lease
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Parcels included | 284 |
| Total acreage | 378,305 acres |
| Comment period closes | Aug. 5, 2026 |
| Scoping completed | May 2026 |
| Planned sale | December 2026 |
From lease to drill
Winning a parcel at the sale does not clear the way to drill. Leasing is only the first step in developing federal oil and gas resources, according to BLM. An operator that wins a lease must still file an application for permit to drill, the paperwork that lays out how it plans to develop the tract. BLM reviews each application, posts it for public review, runs an environmental analysis, and coordinates with state partners and other stakeholders before drilling can start. Every parcel included in the sale carries stipulations meant to protect natural resources on the land.
Where to find the parcels
Maps of the parcels, along with instructions for submitting comments, are posted on BLM's ePlanning website under the "2026 Fourth Quarter Oil and Gas Lease Sale" listing. General information on current and upcoming lease sales runs through BLM's National Fluid Lease Sale System, and the agency conducts its lease sales online through a platform called Efficient Markets.
BLM oversees about 245 million acres of public land, most of it across 12 western states including Alaska, and separately administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate nationwide.
