BLM Montana-Dakotas Oil and Gas

Oil and natural gas development is an important economic driver for Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. BLM Montana/Dakotas administers more than 5,000 Federal leases in the three-state area. Currently almost 3.5 million acres of mineral estate is leased for the purpose of oil and gas development.  In 2015 this raised nearly $200 million in revenue that was disbursed to Indian tribes, states, and the U.S. Treasury.

We manage the public’s land and mineral estate for multiple uses, ranging from energy development to wildlife habitat to recreation and conservation. To help better balance these often conflicting demands on public lands, the BLM uses a strong regulatory framework, mandated by laws such as the Mineral Leasing Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and other federal laws and regulations.