BLM Opens 35,000 California Acres to December Oil and Gas Lease Sale

The Bureau of Land Management is set to offer approximately 35,000 acres of land in California for oil and gas leasing on December 1, according to an announcement made on Thursday. The 43 parcels located in Kern, Kings, Fresno, and San Luis Obispo counties will be up for auction. This comes after the BLM decided in June to resume federal oil and gas leasing in its Bakersfield and Central Coast planning areas, following years of litigation and environmental review.

Kern County is the site of most federal drilling in California, accounting for over 95% of the region's drilling. The sale follows a slight reduction from the original 44 parcels considered in August, which covered about 36,000 acres. A 30-day protest period opened on Wednesday and runs through November 2. Before companies can drill, they must submit individual applications, which will undergo further BLM review and environmental analysis before any development can commence.

California's reliance on imported crude has risen significantly, with refineries receiving 56% of their crude from foreign sources in the first half of 2026, down from 61.1% in 2025. Domestic California production accounted for only 22.9% of the crude processed by state refineries. The December auction will determine the allocation of access to an additional 35,000 acres of land.

However, any new barrels are still years away from reaching refineries, as they must navigate several permitting steps.