Interior Department Announces Sweeping New Rules for Federal Oil and Gas Leases

The changes would undo a Biden-era $500,000 bonding rule, update waste standards, and speed up development under the Trump admin’s energy dominance plan.

An array of pumpjacks operate near the site of a new oil and gas well being drilled in Midland, Texas, on April 8, 2022. Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP

The Department of the Interior on Monday proposed major changes to Bureau of Land Management rules on oil and gas leasing and waste prevention, including lowering the public comment period for lease sales from 90 days to 10 days and swapping a Biden-era statewide bond of $500,000 with the prior $25,000 requirement.

The department did not say when the proposed rules would take effect.