The federal government is looking to reopen oil and gas leasing on public lands throughout Central California.
The Bureau of Land Management has initiated a 30-day public comment period to revise regulations to potentially reopen those leasings.
The backstory: President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14154, titled “Unleashing American Energy,” when he took office on Jan. 20.
- That order called for an increase in petroleum production on property managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
- It is a reversal of a policy from former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022 to not issue any new leases for oil and gas production in Central California. That decision followed lawsuits filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and environmental groups over fracking.
The big picture: The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comment through July 23 on a supplemental environmental impact statement and potential amendment to the resource management plan for oil and gas leasing.
- The public lands in question are in the purview of the Bakersfield Field Office and span eastern Fresno, western Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties.
- In total, the Bakersfield Field Office manages around 1.2 million acres of federal mineral estate, which includes around 612,000 acres of public lands.
- The review is exempting the California Coastal National Monument and the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
What they’re saying: “My district in California’s Central Valley is the energy capital of California – producing 70% of our state’s oil and natural gas,” Rep. Vince Fong (R–Bakersfield) said. “With my advocacy, this important and needed move by the Bureau of Land Management is a strong step toward restoring California’s oil production, lowering costs for families, reducing our reliance on foreign sources of energy by unleashing American energy independence, and protecting good-paying jobs.”
