The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will offer 35 oil and gas parcels covering 34,596 acres in Utah at an online lease sale scheduled for September 22, 2026.
BLM completed scoping on the parcels in April 2026 and closed a public comment period on the parcels and the related environmental analysis in June 2026. A 30-day public protest period opened this week and will close August 22, 2026, giving the public a final chance to weigh in before the sale goes forward.
Protest window closes August 22
Anyone who wants to challenge specific parcels can file a protest before the August 22 deadline. BLM has posted the parcel list, maps and instructions for filing a protest on its ePlanning website. The sale itself will run through BLM's online Efficient Markets platform, and details on this and other current or upcoming lease sales nationwide are available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.
Leasing is the first step, not the last
Winning a lease does not by itself allow drilling. BLM describes leasing as the first step in developing federal oil and gas resources. Before any development can start, the operator that wins a parcel has to file an application for permit to drill, known as an APD, that lays out its development plans. BLM reviews each APD, posts it for public review, runs an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and other stakeholders before signing off. Every parcel in the sale also carries stipulations meant to protect natural resources on the land.
BLM oversees about 245 million acres of public land, mostly across 12 western states including Alaska, and separately administers 700 million acres of federal subsurface mineral estate nationwide. The September 22 sale is one piece of that broader leasing policy for public lands.
