Colorado Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sales

The Oil and Gas Lease Sales map below shows parcels proposed to be offered for lease by the Bureau of Land Management. This interactive map shows current and upcoming lease sales and their conflicts with wildlife and natural areas. More information on upcoming leases is shown below the map.

Advice on how to use the map: Zoom in for more detail. Select the layer list icon in the upper left, expand and turn on conservation_conflicts and other layers and sublayers. Click on parcels or conservation conflict areas for more information. Scroll through pop-ups for multiple overlapping areas by clicking on the right triangle/arrow.

Click here for full screen map

September (Q3) 2026 Lease Sale

Scoping (posted 3/13/2026)

  • The preliminary parcel list for the September (Third Quarter) 2026 oil and gas lease sale is now available. The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public scoping comment on the parcels. The comment period closes Monday, April 13, 2026.
  • Comments can be submitted through the links provided to the electronic comment form through the Participate Now link or in the Documents section of the Bureau of Land Management CO September 2026 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale ePlanning website. Additional information is available in the Press Release and on the BLM Colorado Oil and Gas Lease Sales web site.
  • According to the website and documents, the Bureau is proposing to offer 31 parcels / 17,249.89 acres. The parcels are in Arapahoe, Garfield, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Weld Counties in the Kremmling, Little Snake, Royal Gorge, and White River Field Offices across Colorado.
  • Place based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • BLM Inventoried Lands with Wilderness Characteristics
    • North Park Master Leasing Plan (MLP) area
    • Parcels Adjacent to Diamond J State Wildlife Area
    • Parcels Adjacent to Forest Service Roadless Areas
  • Animal and plant habitat-based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • Priority and general habitat management areas and lek sites for greater sage-grouse
    • Designated critical habitat for ESA endangered Colorado pikeminnow.
    • Cutthroat trout crucial habitat designated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • High Priority Habitat (migratory and winter habitats) for Big Game (elk, mule deer, and pronghorn) identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • High priority production (breeding and calving) areas for elk identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • High priority habitat for native fish, bald eagle, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
    • Current range (potential reintroduction sites) for black footed ferret.
    • Occurrences and species ranges for rare plants including mountain cat’s-eye (Oreocarya cana), ESA endangered North Park phacelia (Phacelia formosula), and ESA threatened Parachute Penstemon (Penstemon debilis) and Piceance twinpod (Physaria obcordata)
    • Occurrences of other rare animal species including Colorado Species of Special Concern Swift Fox, Long-billed Curlew, and Mountain Plover.
    • Potential conservation areas identified by Colorado Natural Heritage Program
  • Note that all parcels are in areas identified as medium or high potential for oil and gas development.
  • Additional conflicts include overlaps with the human-powered recreation footprint identified by Outdoor Alliance
  • Lease Sale Scoping Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Scoping ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.

June 16 (Q2) 2026 Lease Sale

Sale Notice (posted 4/16/2026)

  • Sale Notice and associated Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the June 2026 oil and gas lease sale is now available. The publication started a 30-day protest closes Monday, May 18, 2026.
  • There is important information about how to protest on the CO June 2026 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale ePlanning website and in the Sale Notice available in the Documents section of that site. Additional information is available in the Press Release and on the BLM Colorado Oil and Gas Lease Sales web site.
  • According to the website and documents, the Bureau is proposing to offer 170 parcels / 155,816.48 acres. The parcels are in Arapahoe, Garfield, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Weld Counties in the Colorado River Valley, Grand Junction, Little Snake, Kremmling, Royal Gorge, and White River Field Offices across Colorado.
  • This is the largest oil and gas sale ever proposed in Colorado that we know of.
  • Place based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • BLM Inventoried Lands with Wilderness Characteristics
    • Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
    • Dinosaur Trails, North Park, and South Shale Ridge Master Leasing Plan (MLP)
    • Parcels within 10 miles of Dinosaur National Monument
    • Parcels Adjacent to the Black Mountain and Windy Gulch Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs)
    • Parcels Adjacent to Arapaho National Wildlife Area
    • Parcels Adjacent to Forest Service Roadless Areas
  • Animal and plant habitat-based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • Priority and general habitat management areas and lek sites for greater sage-grouse
    • Designated critical habitat for ESA endangered Colorado pikeminnow and ESA threatened Parachute penstemon (Penstemon debilis).
    • Proposed critical habitat for Graham’s and White River penstemon
    • Cutthroat trout crucial habitat designated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • High Priority Habitat (migratory and winter habitats) for Big Game (elk, mule deer, and pronghorn) identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • High priority production (breeding and lambing) areas for bighorn sheep identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife
    • Current range (potential reintroduction sites) for black footed ferret.
    • Important habitat for bald eagle, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, and golden eagle and species range for Mexican spotted owl and yellow billed cuckoo.
    • Occurrences of many rare plants including (but not limited to) ESA threatened Parachute Penstemon (Penstemon debilis) and Piceance twinpod (Physaria obcordata)
    • Occurrences of many rare animals including (but not limited to) state endangered boreal toad, ESA endanged and state threatened Colorado pikeminnow, and state special concern Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, ferruginous hawk, greater sage-grouse, swift fox
    • Potential conservation areas identified by Colorado Natural Heritage Program
    • White-tailed prairie dog (current or historic active colonies)
  • Note that all parcels are in areas identified as medium or high potential for oil and gas development.
  • Additional conflicts include overlaps with the human-powered recreation footprint identified by Outdoor Alliance
  • Lease Sale Parcels Sale Notice Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Parcels Sale Notice ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.

Draft Environmental Assessment (posted 2/11/2026)

Scoping (posted 12/9/2025)

Resources