Practical Law Glossary Item w-029-4719 (Approx. 2 pages)
Glossary
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
An agency within the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM):
Oversees more than 245 million acres of land and 700 million subsurface acres of federal mineral estate, primarily located in the west. Onshore production from BLM-managed lands accounts for about 9% of natural gas production, 5% of natural gas liquids production, and 5% of oil production. BLM also manages the federal government's onshore oil and gas program, including administering onshore oil and gas leases and inspecting oil and natural gas wells under its jurisdiction.
Manages coal leasing on the federal mineral estate with development potential, which totals about 570 million acres.
Manages more than 19 million acres of public lands with solar energy potential in six southwestern states, which are:
California;
Nevada;
Arizona;
New Mexico;
Colorado; and
Utah.
Manages more than 20 million acres of public lands with wind energy potential in 11 western states.
Has authority to manage geothermal leasing on approximately 245 million acres of public lands (including 104 million acres of US Forest Service lands).