Pulse of the Land - 1/13/2025
Oil Booms, Busts, and a Glint of Green
This Week’s Take
It’s a wild start to the year on America’s public lands. On one hand, we’ve got Washington doubling down on “drill, baby, drill” – rolling out record-breaking oil lease auctions and even dusting off old plans to frack California’s backcountry. On the other hand, some federal lease offerings drew nothing but tumbleweeds, and a state setting new clean energy goals. The takeaway? The tug-of-war between fossil fuels and clean energy is in full swing, and the fate of our public lands hangs in the balance. 2026 is already testing how far we’ll go to balance energy ambitions with conservation common sense.
The State of Public Lands and Energy Relationship
January 6 - Big Oil’s big payday in New Mexico
A federal lease sale on January 6 saw the Bureau of Land Management auction 31 parcels (20,399 acres) in New Mexico and Oklahoma for a whopping $326.8 million, including a single acre that drew a record $218,751 bid.
Why it matters: This gusher of revenue, enabled by a new law slashing federal royalty rates back down to 12.5%, shows industry’s ravenous appetite for drilling prime spots (and a policy shift favoring oil development) even as climate concerns grow.
January 8 - Colorado lease sale flops (again)
In a reality check for the “unleash American energy” push, BLM re-offered ~20,000 acres of Colorado public land on January 8 and got zero bid. Not a single taker for the same parcels that went unsold a month prior.
Why it matters: It highlights a weak industry interest in marginal drilling areas and raises questions about the new mandate to re-do lease sales; forcing land back on the auction block after an initial flop looks pretty pointless (and wasteful) when companies still won’t bite.
Government Spotlight Public Lands
January 12 - Trump greenlights drilling on 1 million acres in California
The Trump administration announced plans to open over a million acres of federal land in California to oil drilling and fracking targeting areas from the Central Valley to the Bay Area, even near treasured parks and refuges.
Why it matters: This moves to overturn a years-long leasing moratorium in California, putting wildlife and communities at risk for more pollution and climate harm; conservation groups are already gearing up to fight what they call a perverse giveaway to oil cronies that will “permanently destroy” public lands if unchecked.
January 7 - White House guts bedrock environmental reviews
The administration finalized a rollback of National Environmental Policy Act rules, claiming the current process “needlessly delays” approvals for energy and infrastructure projects. The White House’s new directive will “restore common sense” by slashing environmental review requirements with officials even crowing that NEPA’s “regulatory reign of terror” is over.
Why it matters: This drastic move limits public input and environmental oversight for projects on public lands and beyond, potentially fast-tracking pipelines, mines, and roads at the expense of communities and ecosystems. It’s a bureaucratic cheer for Big Energy, but it could come back to bite when shortcuts lead to overlooked environmental damage.
Clean Energy in the News
January 9 - Illinois doubles down on clean energy and lower bills
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark law (the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act) to supercharge the state’s transition to clean energy. The new law will ramp up renewable projects, strengthen the grid, cut climate pollution, and is projected to save Illinoisans $13.4 billion in energy costs over 20 years.
Why it matters: At a time when the feds are propping up fossil fuels, Illinois is taking matters into its own hands. Doubling its investment in renewable energy compared to a 2021 climate law and funding big new battery storage programs. It’s a powerful example of a state stepping up to curb emissions and protect consumers’ wallets, proving that the clean energy train is still chugging forward in parts of the country, no matter what’s happening in D.C.
“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” — Aldo Leopold
Thank you for reading! I highlight threats to public lands and the energy industry’s impact. I believe clean energy is the future, and ALL energy projects should prioritize private land first to keep wild places wild. When energy extraction is needed on public lands all projects must restore the land after extraction. Public lands are unique and once lost, they’re gone forever.
Sources:
BLM - BLM oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico and Oklahoma generates nearly $327 million in revenue
BLM - BLM announces additional January 2026 sale of oil and gas leases in Colorado
Colorado Public Radio - Bureau of Land Management oil and gas auction gets zero bids in Colorado
Tax Payers for Common Sense - Industry Still Not Interested in Colorado Public Land Re-Offered for Oil and Gas Development
BLM - BLM seeks input on proposed oil and gas management updates in south-central California
BLM - BLM seeks input on proposed oil and gas management updates in central coast region
Center for Biological Diversity - Trump Proposes Opening Over 1 Million Acres of California Public Lands to Drilling, Fracking
AP News - White House completes plan to curb bedrock environmental law
PV Magazine - After a five-month freeze, BLM finally advances a solar project
League of Conservation Voters - This Week in Climate Action – January 9, 2026