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

March (Q1) 2026 Lease Sale

Scoping (posted 9/2/2025)

  • The Preliminary Parcel List (word document) for the March 2026 oil and gas lease sale was shared by the Colorado Bureau of Land Management on September 2, 2025. This started a 30-day comment period. The comment period closes Thursday, October 2, 2025.
  • Comments can be submitted through the links provided to the electronic comment form under the Participate Now or Documents section of the Bureau of Land Management CO March 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 103 parcels / 72,847.84 acres. The parcels are in Arapahoe, Baca, Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Jackson, Las Animas, Mesa, Rio Blanco, Routt and Weld Counties in the Grand Junction, Kremmling, Royal Gorge, Uncompahgre, and White River Field Offices across Colorado.
  • Place based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • BLM Inventoried Lands with Wilderness Characteristics
    • Little Book Cliffs Wilderness Study Area (WSA)
    • Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
    • Dinosaur Trails Master Leasing Plan (MLP)
    • Parcels Adjacent to and slightly overlapping Forest Service Roadless Areas
  • Animal and plant habitat-based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • Priority and general habitat management areas for greater sage-grouse
    • Designated critical habitat for ESA endangered Colorado pikeminnow.
    • Aquatic High Priority Habitat identified 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
    • Important habitat for bald eagle, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, and lesser prairie chicken.
    • Occurrences of rare plants: bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), debris milkvetch (Astragalus detritalis), Dudley Bluffs bladderpod (Physaria congesta), North Park phacelia (Phacelia formosula), Rayless Goldenweed (Oonopsis foliosa var. monocephala), Rocky Mountain Thistle (Cirsium perplexans), and Texas greasebush (Forsellesia planitierum).
    • Occurrences of rare animals: black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), gray vireo (Vireo vicinior), McCown’s longspur (Calcarius mccownii), and Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
    • Potential conservation areas identified by Colorado Natural Heritage Program
    • White-tailed prairie dog
  • Lands identified by Bureau of Land Management as having low potential for oil and gas development:
    • 1 parcel/881 acres (CO-2026-03-0235) that is not within 5 miles of producing wells (parcel may be near producing wells in Nebraska)
    • All the parcels in Las Animas County (16 Parcels/21,771.93 acres) are in an area identified as having low potential for oil and gas development but are likely targeted for hydrogen development.
    • 10 parcels/5.085 acres are in or overlap areas with low oil and gas development potential but are within 5 miles of producing wells
  • Human-powered recreation footprint identified by Outdoor Alliance
  • Lease Sale Parcels Scoping Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Parcels Scoping ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.

December (Q4) 2025 Lease Sale

Draft Environmental Assessment (posted 6/18/2025)

  • Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) are due 4pm MDT Friday, July 18, 2025. According to the Bureau of Land Management, “there will be no exceptions for late comments.” Comments can be submitted through the links provided to the electronic comment form under the Participate Now or Documents section of the Bureau of Land Management Colorado December 2025 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 presenting two alternatives for leasing in December 2025. Under the Full Leasing Alternative, the Bureau is proposing to offer 61 parcels / 51,067.87 acres. Under the Modified Leasing Alternative, the Bureau is proposing to offer 60 parcels / 50,987.87 acres. The parcels are in Garfield, Jackson, Mesa, Moffatt, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties in the Grand Junction, Kremmling, Little Snake, and White River Field Offices in Northern and Western Colorado.
  • Place based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • BLM Inventoried Lands with Wilderness Characteristics
    • Grieves Easement State Wildlife Area
    • Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (Full Leasing Alternative Only)
    • Parcel Adjacent to Black Mountain Roadless Area
    • Parcel within 10 miles of Dinosaur National Monument
    • Old Spanish National Historic Trail
    • Parcels within the North Park Master Leasing Plan area
    • Parcels within the Shale Ridges and Canyons Master Leasing Plan area
  • Animal and plant habitat-based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • Priority and general habitat management areas for greater sage-grouse
    • Aquatic High Priority Habitat identified 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
    • Important habitat for bald eagle and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse
    • Occurrences of rare plants: Bessey’s Locoweed (Oxytropis besseyi var. obnapiformis), rock-tansy (Sphaeromeria capitata), southwestern cat’s-eye (Oreocarya mensana) and North Park phacelia (Phacelia formosula)
    • White-tailed prairie dog
  • Note that all parcels are on lands identified by the Bureau of Land Management as having high potential for oil and gas development.
  • Recreational footprint identified by Outdoor Alliance
  • Lease Sale Parcels Draft EA Full Leasing Alternative Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Parcels Draft EA Full Leasing Alternative ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.
  • Lease Sale Parcels Draft EA Modified Leasing Alternative Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Parcels Draft EA Modified Leasing Alternative ABI Screen

Scoping (posted 2/14/2025)

  • Lease Sale Parcels Scoping Google Earth kmz | zipped shapefile
  • Lease Sale Parcels Scoping ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.

September (Q3) 9, 2025 Lease Sale

Sale Notice (posted 7/7/2025)

  • Protest on the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Colorado September 9 lease sale are due 4pm MDT on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. There is important information on how to protest in the Sale Notice. There is additional information on the Bureau of Land Management Colorado September 2025 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale ePlanning website, in the Press Release, and BLM Colorado Oil and Gas Lease Sales website.
  • According to the website and documents, BLM is proposing to offer 14 parcels / 7,895.18 acres in Northeast and Northwest Colorado. The parcels are in Arapaho, Moffatt, Rio Blanco, and Weld Counties in the Royal Gorge and White River Field Offices.
  • Place based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • Blair Mtn/Greasewood and North Colorow Lands with Wilderness Characteristics
    • Lower Greaswood Creek ACEC and White River Riparian Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
    • Lower Greasewood Gulch and White River at Rio Blanco Lake Potential Conservation Areas
    • State Wildlife Area (Piceance SWA – North Ridge Unit)
    • Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan (parcel COCO106740685)
  • Animal and plant habitat-based conflicts identified include overlaps with:
    • General and priority habitat for greater sage-grouse
    • Aquatic High Priority Habitat identified 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
    • Important habitat for bald eagle
    • Occurrences of rare plants: Fremont’s beardtongue (Penstemon fremontii var. glabrescens) and narrowstem gilia (Gilia stenothyrsa)
  • Note that all parcels are on lands identified by the Bureau of Land Management as having high potential for oil and gas development.
  • 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 3/14/2025)

Scoping (posted 11/15/2024)

Resources