How to Read BLM Oil and Gas Statistics — Drilling Permits, Leases and Wells on Federal Lands
BLM oil and gas statistics: table figures are Federal lands only (FY 2025 APDs 5,740 vs 3,322, +72.8% this page's calc; leases 31,833); the separately quoted 6,106 APDs include Indian land.
Key figures (BLM oil and gas statistics, FY 2025)
As of 14 November 2026, 00:47 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); latest listed on the agency page at retrieval: the Bureau of Land Management's Fiscal Year 2025 oil and gas statistics, including the Tables 1-10 workbook covering FY 2001 to FY 2025, whose Summary sheet is dated As of 10/01/2025. Primary source: https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2026-04/All%20Fed%20O_G%20Statistics%20by%20Year%20by%20State_Web%20Stats_Tabs%20w%20Table%20Numbers_FY25.xlsx[1][2]
| Indicator (BLM onshore oil and gas program, Federal lands only, fiscal years ending September 30) | Previous: FY 2024 [2] (same value in the FY 2024 edition [3]) | Current: FY 2025 [2] | Change vs previous (this page's subtraction) | Change vs year ago (annual data, so the previous column is also the year-ago value; % change, this page's calculation) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications for permit to drill (APDs) approved, Federal | 3,322 | 5,740 | +2,418 | +72.8% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 7 |
| Leases in effect at fiscal year end | 32,758 | 31,833 | -925 | -2.8% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 1 |
| Acres in leases in effect | 22,218,215 | 21,394,971 | -823,244 | -3.7% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 2 |
| New leases issued during the year | 205 | 183 | -22 | -10.7% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 3 |
| Acres in new leases issued | 110,650 | 132,047 | +21,397 | +19.3% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 4 |
| Wells started (spud), Federal | 2,383 | 2,358 | -25 | -1.0% | BLM Oil and Gas Statistics, Tables 1-10 workbook FY 2001-2025 [2], Summary sheet and Table 8 |
Comparison basis: counts and acres are whole numbers as printed in the Summary sheet (acres rounded to whole acres here; one earlier year is stored with decimals); changes subtract printed values and percentages are this page's calculation rounded to one decimal. The workbook is Federal-only: "Note: For all years, data is Federal-only; does not include Indian data." No difference was found in the FY 2001 to FY 2024 values of the selected Summary rows between the FY 2024 and FY 2025 editions (this page's check).[1][2][3]
In three lines
1. BLM approved 5,740 Federal applications for permit to drill in FY 2025, against 3,322 in FY 2024 (+72.8%, this page's calculation); the page puts Federal and Indian approvals together at 6,106.
2. Leases in effect fell to 31,833 and new leases issued to 183, while acres in new leases rose to 132,047.
3. Wells started (spud) on Federal lands were 2,358, against 2,383 in FY 2024.[1][2]
What the statistics count
Scope. "The statistics on this page apply to the BLM onshore oil and gas leasing program only." Sales volumes and royalties are kept by the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, not in these tables.[1]
Permits, wells and leases are different steps. Table 7 counts approved APDs, and the page notes: "Note that a single lease may have multiple APDs approved and each well pad may have one or more APDs." Table 8 counts well bores started (spudded), that is, where drilling operations have begun. An approved permit is therefore not a drilled well, and a lease is not a permit.[1]
Timing lags. For new leases the page says: "This data is delayed relative to Table 15 because oil and gas parcels take about six months to be offered at a lease sale, and the BLM typically issues the lease roughly two months after the sale."[1]
A dynamic source system. The Summary sheet notes that the oil and gas data come from the Automated Fluid Minerals Support System and says: "Dynamic system that frequently updates."[2]
Reading in pairs
6,106 or 5,740. The page says: "In Fiscal Year 2025, the Bureau of Land Management approved 6,106 APDs on both Federal and Indian land (5,740 Federal APDs), marking one of the highest annual totals since 2008 and demonstrating the agency's continued commitment to efficient, responsible energy development on public lands." The workbook's 5,740 is the Federal-only count; the 6,106 adds Indian land, which the workbook excludes. In the Summary sheet 5,740 is the highest Federal count since FY 2008 (6,617), by this page's search of the series.[1][2]
Table 7 against Table 16. The page explains that Table 7 counts approved permits by geographical state and Table 16 counts permitting workload by administrative state, and says: "Because of the dates on which the reports were generated, the total APDs processed differs by 1 between the 2 tables."[1]
Acreage offered or acreage leased. The page says that while the number of leases went down, acreage offered increased, and refers to Table 4, which the workbook labels acres in new leases issued during the year (132,047 in FY 2025 against 110,650). Acreage offered at auction is a separate Table 11; the page's wording mixes the two terms, so readers should check which measure is meant.[1][2]
Statements about policy. The page links its FY 2025 lease-sale figures to the policy direction in place when sales were prepared and expects more lease sales in FY 2026. These are BLM's statements; the tables themselves do not attribute changes to causes, and this page does not assess them.[1]
Dates and next release
Dates kept apart. Data: fiscal years 2001 to 2025 (FY 2025 ended September 30, 2025). FY 2025 workbook: As of 10/01/2025. FY 2024 workbook: As of 10/01/2024. The page lists the FY 2025 files under Latest fiscal year.[1][2][3]
Next release. The page gives no date for FY 2026 statistics, so the next release date is not established.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
BLM approved 5,740 Federal applications for permit to drill in FY 2025 (6,106 including Indian land), against 3,322 Federal approvals in FY 2024.[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
BLM counted 31,833 Federal oil and gas leases in effect at the end of FY 2025 covering 21,394,971 acres, against 32,758 leases and 22,218,215 acres a year earlier.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
BLM issued 183 new Federal oil and gas leases covering 132,047 acres in FY 2025, against 205 leases and 110,650 acres in FY 2024.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
The number of wells started (spud) on Federal lands was 2,358 in FY 2025 and 2,383 in FY 2024.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
Federal APD approvals rose 72.8% in FY 2025 to 5,740, the highest since FY 2008 (6,617) in the workbook series.[2] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · this page's calculation and search of the Summary sheet
No difference was found in the FY 2001 to FY 2024 values of the selected Summary rows between the two editions.[2][3] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · this page's comparison of the FY 2024 and FY 2025 workbooks
The page's reference to acreage offered points to Table 4, which counts acres in new leases issued; acreage offered at auction is a separate table.[1][2] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · inference from comparing the page text with the workbook labels
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Which measure does the page mean by acreage offered?
- When will FY 2026 statistics be published?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 11/14/2026, 00:46
- Body characters
- 5,631
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 11/14/2026, 00:55
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 11/14/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 11/14/2026 | First version. Read in full the BLM oil and gas statistics page and the FY 2025 and FY 2024 Tables 1-10 workbooks; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text of the page or file named. | Updated |
| 11/14/2026 | Revised after review: the highest-since-FY 2008 reading is kept after a script check of every year column of the Summary APD row, recorded in the review file, and BLM's own one-of-the-highest statement is quoted; the revision statement is narrowed to no difference found in the FY 2001-2024 values of the selected Summary rows, in the text, claim and FAQ; the unknown notes that the acreage ambiguity is in BLM's own wording; the summary separates the Federal-only table figures from the 6,106 APDs that include Indian land. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many drilling permits did BLM approve in 2025?
5,740 Federal APDs in fiscal year 2025 (6,106 including Indian land), the latest published fiscal year at retrieval (workbook as of 10/01/2025).[1][2]
How many federal oil and gas leases are there?
31,833 leases in effect at the end of FY 2025, covering 21,394,971 acres, by BLM's Federal-only count.[2]
Does an approved drilling permit mean a well was drilled?
No: BLM approved 5,740 Federal APDs in FY 2025 while 2,358 wells were started (spud); a lease may have several APDs and an APD is a permit, not a well.[1][2]
Do these numbers include Indian lands?
Not the workbook: its 2025 notes say all years are Federal-only; the page's 6,106 APD figure adds Indian land.[1][2]
Were earlier years revised in the FY 2025 statistics?
No difference was found in the FY 2001 to FY 2024 values of the selected Summary rows between the FY 2024 and FY 2025 editions (8 rows checked by this page); other cells were not compared.[2][3]
When will FY 2026 oil and gas statistics be published?
Not established for FY 2026: the page gives no date.[1]
Official links
- Official BLM — Oil and Gas Statistics