The Bureau of Land Management has scheduled an oil and gas lease sale for Dec. 17, 2026, offering 43 parcels that total 74,550 acres in Utah. Anyone who wants to contest the offering has until Nov. 16, 2026 to file.
What is on offer
The 43 parcels cover 74,550 acres. The sale will run online through Efficient Markets, the platform BLM uses for its lease sales. Information on current and upcoming leases is posted in the National Fluid Lease Sale System.
The calendar
BLM finished scoping on the parcels in July 2026. A public comment period on the parcels and the related environmental analysis closed in September 2026. A 30-day protest period opened with the announcement and closes Nov. 16, 2026, about a month before the sale. The parcels BLM analyzed, along with maps and instructions for submitting a protest, are on BLM's ePlanning website.
What a lease does and does not allow
BLM describes leasing as the first step in developing federal oil and gas resources. A winning bidder cannot start drilling on the lease alone. Before operations begin, the operator must file an application for permit to drill with its development plans. BLM reviews those applications, posts them for public review, runs an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.
Every parcel in a federal lease sale carries stipulations meant to protect important natural resources, according to BLM.
Who is affected
Operators weighing bids have the parcel list and maps on ePlanning to work from now. Anyone who wants to challenge the parcels has the protest window. For both groups, the Dec. 17 sale is the next fixed date once protests close.
BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land, primarily in 12 western states including Alaska, and administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate nationwide.
