BAKERSFIELD, Calif., June 25 (Our California Times) — The Bureau of Land Management has approved a supplemental environmental impact statement that allows oil and gas leasing to resume on federal public lands in its Central Coast Field Office, the agency said, reopening a federal energy-development path in California.
BLM said the decision fulfills a December 2022 settlement agreement and is consistent with Secretary’s Order 3418, which the agency said supports federal direction to expand domestic energy opportunities.
The affected lands are in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, along with portions of Fresno, Merced and San Joaquin counties, according to the agency.
The BLM did not say when any lease sales could begin or identify specific parcels that might be offered first.
In separate BLM review documents for the Bakersfield Field Office, San Luis Obispo County has also been included in a broader Central California planning area, underscoring the reach of the federal leasing review across the region.
