BLM Sidesteps Public Scrutiny By Declaring Oil And Gas Rule Changes ‘Noncontroversial’

The Bureau of Land Management quietly slid through significant oil and gas rule changes last week, labeling them “noncontroversial” to fast-track the process. This clever little move drastically cut the public comment period—because apparently rewriting how our public lands get leased for drilling isn’t worth much discussion.

The changes stem from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed back in July 2025. BLM insists these are merely “procedural adjustments” rather than policy shifts. Right. Just some light tinkering with definitions like “eligible” and “available” for oil and gas leasing. Nothing to see here, folks.

BLM’s so-called “procedural adjustments” redefine our public lands as drilling playgrounds. Just following orders, they say. How convenient.

BLM’s justification? They’re just following orders from Congress. The agency claims the changes simply implement mandates from the OBBB legislation, with minimal discretionary wiggle room on their part. Convenient narrative.

The modifications include new fee structures for Expressions of Interest, updated royalty calculations, and revised protocols for competitive lease nominations. They’re also “modernizing” rules for commingling well production—a mundane-sounding change with potentially major implications.

By slapping the “noncontroversial” label on these changes, BLM effectively limits scrutiny. Environmental groups and other stakeholders now face tight deadlines to prepare responses. Critical oversight? Optional, apparently.

Industry groups seem pretty happy with the streamlining. Shocking. They’ve welcomed the predictability and efficiency of this express-lane rulemaking process. Meanwhile, advocacy organizations have raised eyebrows at how these substantive changes somehow qualify as “noncontroversial.”

The most affected areas include land eligibility definitions, fee and royalty formulas, and public notification processes. In other words, the entire framework for how public lands get offered up for drilling.

The BLM maintains these changes will “increase transparency and standardize leasing procedures.” Because nothing says transparency quite like rushing through regulatory changes with minimal public input. Democracy in action, folks.