DENVER – Important oil and gas leasing reforms that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act one year ago have benefited wildlife habitat on more than 121,374 acres of public lands. Specifically, the bill’s elimination of noncompetitive leasing has meant that lands that didn’t receive any bids at auction over the past two years weren’t later sold in a noncompetitive process for as little as $1.50 an acre. 

“On this one-year anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, it is notable to see that industry declined to bid on 44 percent of acreage offered for lease since June 2022. Now, rather than being sold for pennies on the dollar, the Bureau of Land Management can manage these lands for other purposes, such as wildlife, recreation, and protection of cultural resources. The elimination of noncompetitive leasing is good news for our nation’s wildlife and for American taxpayers,” said Bailey Brennan, public lands attorney at the National Wildlife Federation. “We applaud the Biden Administration for its proposed oil and gas rule that will codify this reform and make additional long-overdue changes to the oil and gas leasing system.” 

Here is a breakdown by state of the acres that received no bids at auction and then were prevented from being sold noncompetitively because of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Wyoming: 109,804 acres unsold (June 2022 lease sale + June 2023 lease sale)
Acres Overlapping Big Game Habitat (Crucial Range + Migration Corridors): 20,546 acres
Acres Overlapping Greater Sage Grouse Habitat: 109,408 acres 

Colorado: 2,153 acres unsold (June 2022 lease sale)
Acres Overlapping Greater Sage Grouse Habitat: 2,153 acres 

Montana: 1,889 acres unsold (June 2022 lease sale)
Acres Overlapping Big Game Habitat (Winter Habitat): 1,889 acres

Nevada: 6,000 acres unsold (June 2022 lease sale + July 2023 lease sale)

Kansas: 1,528 acres unsold (May 2023 lease sale)

Last year the National Wildlife Federation released a report showing how widespread the problem of noncompetitive leasing was in five Western states: Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.