Bureau of Land Management#Directors

File:US federal land.agencies.svg

File:Simpson Park.jpg, managed by the Battle Mountain BLM Field Office]]

File:Snake River Canyon edited.jpg, managed by the Boise District of the BLM]]

The BLM's roots go back to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-DOI-BLM-PUBLAND-1996/html/GPO-DOI-BLM-PUBLAND-1996-2.htm |title=The BLM: The Agency and its History |publisher=GPO |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126080757/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-DOI-BLM-PUBLAND-1996/html/GPO-DOI-BLM-PUBLAND-1996-2.htm |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |url-status=live }} These laws provided for the survey and settlement of the lands that the original Thirteen Colonies ceded to the federal government after the American Revolution. As additional lands were acquired by the United States from Spain, France and other countries, the United States Congress directed that they be explored, surveyed, and made available for settlement.

During the Revolutionary War, military bounty land was promised to soldiers who fought for the colonies.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m804.pdf |title=Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files (p. 7) |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration (1974) |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213090214/http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m804.pdf |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |url-status=live }} After the war, the Treaty of Paris of 1783, signed by the United States, the UK, France, and Spain, ceded territory to the United States.{{Cite web |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/parisno.asp |title=British-American Diplomacy Treaty of Paris – Hunter Miller's Notes |publisher=The Avalon Project at Yale Law School |access-date=October 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516033713/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/parisno.asp |archive-date=May 16, 2015 |url-status=live }}Black, Jeremy. British foreign policy in an age of revolutions, 1783–1793 (1994) pp 11–20 In the 1780s, other states relinquished their own claims to land in modern-day Ohio. By this time, the United States needed revenue to functionVernon Carstensen, "Patterns on the American Land." Journal of Federalism, Fall 1987, Vol. 18 Issue 4, pp 31–39 and land was sold as a source of income for the government.

In order to sell the land, surveys needed to be conducted. The Land Ordinance of 1785 instructed a geographer to oversee this work as undertaken by a group of surveyors. The first years of surveying were completed by trial and error; once the territory of Ohio had been surveyed, a modern public land survey system had been developed.{{Cite book |last=White |first=C. Albert |title=A history of the rectangular survey system |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=1991 |location=Washington, D.C.}} In 1812, Congress established the United States General Land Office as part of the Department of the Treasury to oversee the disposition of these federal lands.A History of the Rectangular Survey System by C. Albert White, 1983, Pub: Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management: For sale by G.P.O. By the early 1800s, promised bounty land claims were finally fulfilled.

In the 19th century, other bounty land and homestead laws were enacted to dispose of federal land.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m804.pdf |title=Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files (p. 3) |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration (1974) |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213090214/http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m804.pdf |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |url-status=live }} Several different types of patents existed.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/049.html |title=Records of the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] (Record Group 49) 1685–1993 (bulk 1770–1982) |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129015947/http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/049.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }} These include cash entry, credit, homestead, Indian, military warrants, mineral certificates, private land claims, railroads, state selections, swamps, town sites, and town lots. A system of local land offices spread throughout the territories, patenting land that was surveyed via the corresponding Office of the Surveyor General of a particular territory. This pattern gradually spread across the entire United States. The laws that spurred this system with the exception of the General Mining Law of 1872 and the Desert Land Act of 1877 have since been repealed or superseded.

In the early 20th century, Congress took additional steps toward recognizing the value of the assets on public lands and directed the Executive Branch to manage activities on the remaining public lands.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM/History.print.html |title=BLM and Its Predecessors: A Long and Varied History |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126221553/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM/History.print.html |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |access-date=November 14, 2014}} The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 allowed leasing, exploration, and production of selected commodities, such as coal, oil, gas, and sodium to take place on public lands.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ut/vernal_fo/lands___minerals.Par.6287.File.dat/MineralLeasingAct1920.pdf |title=Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 As Amended |publisher=BLM |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923232809/http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ut/vernal_fo/lands___minerals.Par.6287.File.dat/MineralLeasingAct1920.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=live }} The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 established the United States Grazing Service to manage the public rangelands by establishment of advisory boards that set grazing fees.{{Cite journal |editor1-last=Wishart |editor1-first=David J. |editor1-link=David J. Wishart|title=Taylor Grazing Act |url=http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ag.071 |journal=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains |publisher=University of Nebraska-Lincoln |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021203/http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ag.071 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }}{{Cite thesis |last=Elliott |first=Clayton R. |title=Innovation in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management: Insights from Integrating Mule Deer Management with Oil and Gas Leasing (Masters Thesis) |date=August 2010 |publisher=University of Montana |page=45 |hdl=2027.42/77588|type=Thesis }} The Oregon and California Revested Lands Sustained Yield Management Act of 1937, commonly referred as the O&C Act, required sustained yield management of the timberlands in western Oregon.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/or/files/OC_History.pdf |title=O&C Sustained Yield Act: the Law, the Land, the Legacy |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=March 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024061002/http://www.blm.gov/or/files/OC_History.pdf |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=live }}

In 1946, the Grazing Service was merged with the United States General Land Office to form the Bureau of Land Management within the Department of the Interior. It took several years for this new agency to integrate and reorganize.{{Cite book |last=James |first=Muhn |url=https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |title=Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM |date=September 1988 |publisher=BLM |location=Denver |page=52 |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731005148/https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |url-status=live }} In the end, the Bureau of Land Management became less focused on land disposal and more focused on the long term management and preservation of the land. The agency achieved its current form by combining offices in the western states and creating a corresponding office for lands both east of and alongside the Mississippi River.{{Cite book |last=James |first=Muhn |url=https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |title=Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM |date=September 1988 |publisher=BLM |location=Denver |pages=160–172 |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731005148/https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |url-status=live }} As a matter of course, the BLM's emphasis fell on activities in the western states as most of the mining, land sales, and federally owned areas are located west of the Mississippi.{{Cite book |last=James |first=Muhn |url=https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |title=Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM |date=September 1988 |publisher=BLM |location=Denver |pages=104–106 |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731005148/https://archive.org/stream/opportunitychall00muhn/opportunitychall00muhn_djvu.txt |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |url-status=live }}

BLM personnel on the ground have typically been oriented toward local interests, while bureau management in Washington are led by presidential guidance.{{Cite thesis |last=Elliott |first=Clayton R. |title=Innovation in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management: Insights from Integrating Mule Deer Management with Oil and Gas Leasing (Masters Thesis) |date=August 2010 |publisher=University of Montana |pages=5, 51–52 |hdl=2027.42/77588|type=Thesis }} By means of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, Congress created a more unified bureau mission and recognized the value of the remaining public lands by declaring that these lands would remain in public ownership. The law directed that these lands be managed with a view toward "multiple use" defined as "management of the public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people."{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1702 |title=43 U.S. Code § 1702(c) |publisher=Legal Information Institute |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129012755/http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/43/1702 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }}

Since the Reagan administration in the 1980s, Republicans have often given priority to local control and to grazing, mining and petroleum production, while Democrats have more often emphasized environmental concerns even when granting mining and drilling leases.James R. Skillen, The Nation's Largest Landlord (2009) In September 1996, then President Bill Clinton used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, the first of now 20 national monuments established on BLM lands and managed by the agency. The establishment of Grand Staircase–Escalante foreshadowed later creation of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System in 2000. Use of the Antiquities Act authority, to the extent it effectively scuttled a coal mine to have been operated by Andalex Resources, delighted recreation and conservation enthusiasts but set up larger confrontations with state and local authorities.{{Cite web |url=http://www.headwatersnews.org/p.021302.html |title=San Rafael Swell monument proposal could prove that Bush realizes the importance of a fair and public process |last=Mathew Barrett Gross |date=February 13, 2002 |publisher=Headwaters News, University of Montana |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126105007/http://www.headwatersnews.org/p.021302.html |archive-date=November 26, 2007 |access-date=January 16, 2008}}{{cite news |last=Davidson |first=Lee |url=http://archive.deseretnews.com/archive/902865/Ortons-bill-would-erase-power-to-declare-permanent-monument.html |title=Orton's bill would erase power to declare permanent monument |date=September 27, 1996 |work=Deseret News }}{{dead link|date=November 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Under the Trump administration, the BLM offered millions of acres of available Federal lands for 10-year leases for commercial development, potentially in oil and gas and mining, with the stated goal of "promoting American energy security". The BLM holds quarterly oil and gas lease sales.{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/press-release/september-2019-oil-and-gas-lease-sale |title=BLM seeks comments on parcels offered in September 2019 oil and gas lease sale |date=May 30, 2019 |format=Text |access-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531184646/https://www.blm.gov/press-release/september-2019-oil-and-gas-lease-sale |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |url-status=dead }} According to a June 18, 2018 article in The Atlantic, under the tenure of then-United States Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke "practically gave away hundreds of thousands of acres of open land across the West, leasing it to energy companies for pennies on the dollar."{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/chaos-works/591688/ |title=Trump Uses Chaos to Get Stuff Done |last=Nazaryan |first=Alexander |date=June 18, 2019 |website=The Atlantic |access-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618121603/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/chaos-works/591688/ |archive-date=June 18, 2019 |url-status=live }} The Salt Lake Tribune reported that in March 2019, the price per acre for leases near the Golden Spike National Historical Park, in Utah were "$1.50 an acre for the next two years".{{Cite web |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/03/27/blm-leases-acres-public/ |title=BLM leases 135,000 acres of public land to oil and gas companies in massive auction |date=March 27, 2019 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328210115/https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/03/27/blm-leases-acres-public/ |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |url-status=live }} By September 11, 2018, the Department of Interior was offering 2.9 million acres to be leased to commercial operations including drilling for oil and gas and mining in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and other states where public land is not protected by a national park or monument designation.{{Cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-rushes-lease-federal-lands-090041852.html |title=Trump administration rushes to lease federal lands |date=September 11, 2018 |access-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731005149/https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-rushes-lease-federal-lands-090041852.html |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |url-status=live }} The BLM's May 30, 2019 statement proposed an additional 183,668 acres on "lands managed by the Canyon Country, Color Country, Green River, and West Desert districts" that would be listed for the quarterly oil and gas lease sale on September 10, 2019. In their May 2019, September lease offerings, the BLM said that they had "245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska" and across the United States another "700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate" is under their management. The statement also said that these "diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017" while supporting over 468,000 jobs".

On August 4, 2020, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, committing up to $1.9 billion from energy development revenues to the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund each year for five years for needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas and American Indian schools. The Act also committed $900 million a year in royalties from offshore oil and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund investments in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country.{{cite web |title=Share President Trump Signs Most Historic Conservation Funding Legislation in U.S. History |url=https://www.doi.gov/blog/president-trump-signs-most-historic-conservation-funding-legislation-us-history |website=U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=15 October 2020 |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101044524/https://www.doi.gov/blog/president-trump-signs-most-historic-conservation-funding-legislation-us-history |url-status=dead }} {{PD-notice}}{{cite news |title=Trump signs $3-billion-a-year plan to boost conservation, parks |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-08-04/trump-signs-3b-a-year-plan-to-boost-conservation-parks |access-date=15 October 2020 |agency=The Associated Press |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 4, 2020}}

Also in August 2020, the BLM headquarters was relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado, by an order signed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.{{cite web|last=Staff|url=https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-secures-site-western-leadership-office|title=BLM secures site for Western leadership office|website=BLM.gov|date=September 20, 2019 |access-date=16 August 2020}} The relocation was praised by Republican Western politicians but criticized by Democrats as a move to weaken the agency through the loss of experienced staffers, who opted to stay in Washington, D.C.{{cite news |last=O'Donoghue |first=Amy Joi |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Bureau of Land Management officially relocates to new home in Colorado |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/8/11/21363659/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-relocated-colorado-blm-grand-junction |work=Deseret News |access-date=August 12, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=August 10, 2020 |title=Interior finalizes public lands agency HQ move out West over congressional objections |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/511371-interior-finalizes-public-lands-agency-hq-move-out-west-over |work=The Hill |access-date=August 12, 2020}} Some ranchers were concerned about the isolation of Grand Junction compared to other Western cities, having limited flights and road access.{{Cite web|title=Grand Junction is 'darn hard to get to': ranchers split on public lands agency's move west {{!}} Environment {{!}} The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/11/bureau-land-management-public-lands-west-colorado|access-date=2020-12-23|website=amp.theguardian.com}} After the announcement, 87% of D.C.-based employees left, prompting former lead career BLM official Steve Ellis to state "the bureau lost a tremendous amount of expertise...[of] very seasoned people."{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Bureau of Land Management exodus: Agency lost 87 percent of staff in Trump HQ relocation |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/536384-blm-exodus-agency-lost-87-percent-of-staff-in-trump-relocation |work=The Hill |access-date=July 19, 2021}}

On September 17, 2021, Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the headquarters would be moved back to Washington, D.C.{{cite tweet|number=1438965957809016837|user=USInteriorPress |author=US Interior Press Team |title=Today, @SecDebHaaland announced next steps to rebuild and strengthen @BLMNational, including plans to restore the national headquarters to Washington, D.C. and expand the Western headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado.|date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405075858/https://twitter.com/USInteriorPress/status/1438965957809016837 |archive-date= Apr 5, 2022 }}{{cite tweet |number=1438966794656567296 |user=SecDebHaaland |author=Secretary Deb Haaland |title=The Bureau of Land Management is critical to the nation's efforts to address the climate crisis and expanding access to public lands. The bureau must have access to the policy, budget, and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission. |date=September 17, 2021 |bot=TweetCiteBot}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html|title = Bureau of Land Management headquarters to return to Washington, DC|website = CNN| date=September 17, 2021 |first1=Liz |last1=Stark |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327002358/http://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html |archive-date= Mar 27, 2023 }}

Under the Biden administration, the BLM is working on a pilot project called "outcomes-based grazing", to see if cattle grazing can help achieve conservation, agency director Tracy Stone-Manning said in an interview published in April 2022.{{Cite web |last1=Mohr |first1=Kylie |last2=Stone-Manning |first2=Tracy |date=2022-04-15 |title=Cows, coal and climate change: A Q&A with the new BLM director |url=https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/north-bureau-of-land-management-cows-coal-and-climate-change-a-q-a-with-the-new-blm-director |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=High Country News |language=en-us}}

In June 2022, the BLM finalized two acquisitions in Colorado and Wyoming, acquiring over 40,000 acres of previously inaccessible land. The acquisition in Wyoming for 35,670 acres is the agency's largest ever purchase in the state.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-01 |title=BLM acquires 35,670 acres near Casper in agency's largest ever Wyoming land purchase |url=https://oilcity.news/community/2022/06/01/blm-acquires-35670-acres-near-casper-in-agencys-largest-ever-wyoming-land-purchase/ |first1=Brendan |last1=LaChance |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Oil City News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=New BLM land acquisitions open up nearly 40,000 acres of public land |url=https://www.gohunt.com/content/news/new-blm-land-acquisition-open-up-nearly-40k-acres-of-public-land |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=GOHUNT |first1=Kristen A. |last1=Schmitt |date=June 7, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=June 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627052042/https://www.gohunt.com/content/news/new-blm-land-acquisition-open-up-nearly-40k-acres-of-public-land |url-status=dead }}

In 2024 the Department of the Interior has begun to advance a new rule according to which the Bureau of Land Management can distribute restoration leases and mitigation leases exactly in the same way as it distributes new leases for oil and gas drilling. The designed land will be used for nature conservation including use of indigenous knowledge.{{cite news |last1=Joselow |first1=Maxine |title=The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/04/18/biden-public-lands-conservation-rule/ |access-date=21 April 2024 |agency=Washington Post |date=18 April 2024}}

File:Public Lands Held by the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.svg

• Grazing. The BLM manages livestock grazing on nearly {{convert|155|e6acre|km2}} million acres under the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |title=Fact Sheet on the BLM's Management of Livestock Grazing |publisher=BLM |date=March 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129063736/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} The agency has granted more than 18,000 permits and leases to ranchers who graze their livestock, mostly cattle and sheep, at least part of the year on BLM public lands. Permits and leases generally cover a 10-year period and are renewable if the BLM determines that the terms and conditions of the expiring permit or lease are being met. The federal grazing fee is adjusted annually and is calculated using a formula originally set by Congress in the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978. Under this formula, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM), nor can any fee increase or decrease exceed 25 percent of the previous year's level.An AUM is the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The grazing fee for 2014 was set at $1.35 per AUM, the same level as for 2013. Over time there has been a gradual decrease in the amount of grazing that takes place on BLM-managed land. Grazing on public lands has declined from 18.2 million AUMs in 1954 to 7.9 million AUMs in 2013.
• Mining. Domestic production from over 63,000 Federal onshore oil and gas wells on BLM lands accounts for 11 percent of the natural gas supply and five percent of the oil supply in the United States.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |title=Oil and Gas |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214615/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 19, 2014}} BLM has on record a total of 290,000 mining claims under the General Mining Law of 1872.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/mining_claims.html |title=Mining Laws |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021439/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/mining_claims.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 19, 2014}} The BLM issues permits for oil and gas, coal, strategic minerals, and renewable energy resources such as wind, geothermal and solar to be developed on public lands.{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals |title=Programs: Energy and Minerals |date=August 17, 2016 |website=www.blm.gov |access-date=May 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427230817/https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals |archive-date=April 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} The total mining claims on lands owned by the BLM has decreased while the number of rejected claims has increased. Among the over 3.8 million mining claims overseen by BLM just over 10% of claims still active, of which Nevada has the most at 203,705 and California has 49,259.{{Cite web |url=https://thediggings.com/usa/blm-admin-areas |title=Bureau of Land Management Administrative Areas |website=The Diggings |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423021214/https://thediggings.com/usa/blm-admin-areas |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}
• Coal leases. The BLM holds the coal mineral estate to more than {{convert|570|e6acre|km2}} where the owner of the surface is the federal government, a state or local government, or a private entity.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/coal_and_non-energy/coal_lease_table.html |title=Total Federal Coal Leases in Effect, Total Acres Under Lease, and Lease Sales by Fiscal Year Since 1990 |publisher=BLM |date=2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128211348/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/coal_and_non-energy/coal_lease_table.html |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} As of 2013, the BLM had competitively granted 309 leases for coal mining to {{convert|474,252|acre|ha}}, an increase of {{convert|13,487|acre|ha}} or nearly 3% increase in land subject to coal production over ten years' time.
• Recreation. The BLM administers {{convert|205498|mi|km}} of fishable streams, {{convert|2.2|e6acre|km2}} of lakes and reservoirs, {{convert|6600|mi|km}} of floatable rivers, over 500 boating access points, 69 National Back Country Byways, and 300 Watchable Wildlife sites.{{Cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&dbname=cp106&sid=cp106yWjtd&refer=&r_n=sr491.106&item=&&&sel=TOC_54547& |title=Senate Report 106-491 – Outfitter Policy Act of 1999 |website=congress.gov/ |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=November 15, 2014 }} {{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The agency also manages {{convert|4500|mi|km}} of National Scenic, National Historic and National Recreation Trails, as well as thousands of miles of multiple use trails used by motorcyclists, hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers. In 2013, BLM lands received an estimated 61.7 million recreational visitors.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/pls13/pls2013.pdf |title=Public Land Statistics 2013 |date=July 2014 |series=Volume 198 |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128175702/http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/pls13/pls2013.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}} Over 99% of BLM-managed lands are open to hunting, recreational shooting opportunities, and fishing.
• Conservation. The National Landscape Conservation System preserves a variety of lands protected from development.
• California Desert Conservation Area. The California Desert Conservation Area covers {{convert|25|e6acre|km2}} of land in southern California designated by Congress in 1976 by means of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd/cdca_q_a.html |title=IntIntroduction: The California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) |publisher=BLM |date=September 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021437/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/cdd/cdca_q_a.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 19, 2014}} BLM is charged with administering about {{convert|10|e6acre|km2}} of this fragile area with its potential for multiple uses in mind.
• Timberlands. The Bureau manages {{convert|55|e6acre|km2}} of forests and woodlands, including {{convert|11|e6acre|km2}} of commercial forest and {{convert|44|e6acre|km2}} of woodlands in 11 western states and Alaska.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03615.pdf |title=BLM Public Domain Lands: Volume of Timber Offered for Sale Has Declined Substantially Since Fiscal Year 1990 |date=June 2003 |publisher=GAO |access-date=November 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045237/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03615.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }} {{convert|53|e6acre|km2}} are productive forests and woodlands on public domain lands and {{convert|2.4|e6acre|km2}} are on O&C lands in western Oregon.

File:Calm Before the Storm (8555289958).jpg

• Firefighting. Well in excess of 3,000 full-time equivalent firefighting personnel work for BLM.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/nifc/operations.Par.46522.File.dat/ProgramSummaries.pdf |title=2014 National and State Fire Preparedness Program Summaries |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021422/http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/nifc/operations.Par.46522.File.dat/ProgramSummaries.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} The agency fought 2,573 fires on BLM-managed lands in fiscal year 2013.
• Mineral rights on Indian lands. As part of its trust responsibilities, the BLM provides technical advice for minerals operations on {{convert|56|e6acre|km2}} of Indian lands.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM/subsurface.print.html |title=Mineral and Surface Acreage Managed by the BLM |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116042146/https://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM/subsurface.print.html/ |archive-date=November 16, 2016 |access-date=December 5, 2018}}
• Leasing and Land Management of Split Estates. A split estate is similar to the broad form deeds used, starting in the early 1900s. It is a separation of mineral rights and surface rights on a property. The BLM manages split estates, but only in cases when the "surface rights are privately owned and the rights to the minerals are held by the Federal Government."{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/split-estate |title=LEASING AND MANAGEMENT OF SPLIT ESTATE |website=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=May 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223001058/https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/split-estate |archive-date=December 23, 2018 |url-status=dead }}
• Cadastral surveys. The BLM is the official record keeper for over 200 years' worth of cadastral survey records and plats as part of the Public Land Survey System.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/cadastralsurvey/cadastral_history.html |title=Cadastral History |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113090104/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/cadastralsurvey/cadastral_history.html |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |access-date=November 19, 2014}} In addition, the Bureau still completes numerous new surveys each year, mostly in Alaska, and conducts resurveys to restore obliterated or lost original surveys.
• Abandoned mines. BLM maintains an inventory of known abandoned mines on the lands it manages.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/Abandoned_Mine_Lands.html |title=Abandoned Mine Lands |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021319/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/Abandoned_Mine_Lands.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 19, 2014}} As of April 2014, the inventory contained nearly 46,000 sites and 85,000 other features. Approximately 23% of the sites had either been remediated, had reclamation actions planned or underway, or did not require further action. The remaining sites require further investigation. A 2008 Inspector General report alleges that BLM has for decades neglected the dangers represented by these abandoned mines.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/aml/OIG-DOI_AML_Audit-FINAL-2008-0717.pdf |title=Abandoned Mine Lands in the Department of the Interior |publisher=Department of the Interior IG |access-date=November 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129035048/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/aml/OIG-DOI_AML_Audit-FINAL-2008-0717.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }}
• Energy corridors. Approximately {{convert|5000|mi}} of energy corridors for pipelines and transmission lines are located on BLM-managed lands.
• Helium. BLM operates the National Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas, a program begun in 1925 during the time of the Zeppelin Wars.{{Cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/10/02/federal_helium_reserve_to_stay_open_for_now_congress_approves_responsible.html |title=Our Government May Be Shut Down, but at Least Our Helium Reserve Won't Be ... for Now |last=Krule |first=Miriam |website=slate.com |date=October 2, 2013 |publisher=Slate |access-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127142144/http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/10/02/federal_helium_reserve_to_stay_open_for_now_congress_approves_responsible.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |url-status=live }} Though the reserve had been set to be moved to private hands, it remains subject to oversight of the BLM under the provisions of the unanimously-passed Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act of 2013.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/04/opinion/collins-an-ode-to-helium.html |title=Opinion - An Ode to Helium |last=Collins |first=Gail |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 3, 2013 |access-date=February 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109120852/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/04/opinion/collins-an-ode-to-helium.html |archive-date=November 9, 2017 |url-status=live }}
• Revenue and fees. The BLM produces significant revenue for the United States budget.{{Cite web |url=http://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2009/upload/FY2009BLMBudgetTestimony.pdf |title=Statement of Henri Bisson, Deputy Director Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of the Interior Before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Hearing on the FY 2009 Budget Request of the Bureau of Land Management February 27, 2008 |publisher=Department of the Interior |access-date=November 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128080826/http://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2009/upload/FY2009BLMBudgetTestimony.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |url-status=dead }} In 2009, public lands were expected to generate an estimated $6.2 billion in revenues, mostly from energy development. Nearly 43.5% of these funds are provided directly to states and counties to support roads, schools, and other community needs.

Established in 2000, the National Landscape Conservation System is overseen by the BLM.{{Cite web |url=http://wilderness.org/article/national-landscape-conservation-system |title=National Landscape Conservation System |publisher=The Wilderness Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130045642/http://wilderness.org/article/national-landscape-conservation-system |archive-date=November 30, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} The National Landscape Conservation System lands constitute just about 12% of the lands managed by the BLM. Congress passed Title II of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11) to make the system a permanent part of the public lands protection system in the United States.{{Cite web |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr146 |title=H.R. 146 (111th): Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 |publisher=Govtrack.us |access-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129055523/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr146 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }} By designating these areas for conservation, the law directed the BLM to ensure these places are protected for future generations, similar to national parks and wildlife refuges.

Source: BLM Resources and Statistics{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS/nlcs_resources_.html |title=Resources and Statistics |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021420/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS/nlcs_resources_.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}}

File:2011-08-04 20 00 00 Susie Fire in the Adobe Range west of Elko Nevada.jpgThe BLM, through its Office of Law Enforcement and Security, functions as a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Government. BLM law enforcement rangers and special agents receive their training through Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC).{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Law_Enforcement/law_enforcement.Par.26988.File.dat/LErecruit100907.pdf |title=BLM Law Enforcement: Protecting Public Land Resources |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128180050/http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Law_Enforcement/law_enforcement.Par.26988.File.dat/LErecruit100907.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} Full-time staffing for these positions approaches 300.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Communications_Directorate/public_affairs/news_release_attachments.Par.60974.File.dat/FY2015_BLM_Greenbook.pdf |title=FY 2015 BLM Green Book |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128193817/http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Communications_Directorate/public_affairs/news_release_attachments.Par.60974.File.dat/FY2015_BLM_Greenbook.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement.html |title=BLM Law Enforcement |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128175945/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement.html |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}}

Uniformed rangers enforce laws and regulations governing BLM lands and resources.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement/blm_rangers.html |title=BLM Rangers |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128193952/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement/blm_rangers.html |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} As part of that mission, these BLM rangers carry firearms and defensive equipment, make arrests, execute search warrants, complete reports and testify in court. They seek to establish a regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public lands, roads and recreation sites. They focus on the protection of natural and cultural resources, other BLM employees and visitors. Given the many locations of BLM public lands, these rangers use canines, helicopters, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and boats to perform their duties.

By contrast BLM special agents are criminal investigators who plan and conduct investigations concerning possible violations of criminal and administrative provisions of the BLM and other statutes under the United States Code.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement/BLM_Special_Agents.html |title=BLM Special Agents |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128193709/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/law_enforcement/BLM_Special_Agents.html |archive-date=November 28, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014}} Special agents are normally plain clothes officers who carry concealed firearms and other defensive equipment, make arrests, carry out complex criminal investigations, present cases for prosecution to local United States Attorneys and prepare investigative reports. Criminal investigators occasionally conduct internal and civil claim investigations.

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The current sidearm is the SIG Sauer P320 chambered in 9mm which is replacing the SIG Sauer P226/P229 both chambered in .40 S&W.

{{See also|Mustang|Burro|Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971|List of BLM Herd Management Areas}}

File:TuleHorses.JPGs run across Tule Valley, Utah]]

The BLM manages free-roaming horses and burros on public lands in ten western states. Though they are feral, the agency is obligated to protect them under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA). As the horses have few natural predators, populations have grown substantially. WFRHBA as enacted provides for the removal of excess animals; the killing of lame, old, or sick animals; the private placement or adoption of excess animals; and even the killing of healthy animals if range management required it.{{Cite journal |last=Roberto |first=Iraola |date=Fall 2005 |title=The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 |url=https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=35+Envtl.+L.+1049&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=25bca7e60e63e8e03c76fa8d795d95be |journal=Environmental Law |publisher=Lewis & Clark Law School |volume=35 |pages=1049–1079 |access-date=November 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129012853/https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=35+Envtl.+L.+1049&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=25bca7e60e63e8e03c76fa8d795d95be |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }}Sterba, James P. "Revived Killing of Wild Horses for Pet Food Is Feared." New York Times. August 3, 1974. The killing of healthy or unhealthy horses has almost never occurred.{{Cite book |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3796106.pdf |title=Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |page=16 |access-date=November 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129070339/http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3796106.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Pursuant to the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978, the BLM has established 179 "herd management areas" (HMAs) covering {{convert|31.6|e6acre|km2}} acres where feral horses can be found on federal lands.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/history_and_facts/quick_facts.html |title=Wild Horse and Burro Quick Facts |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131163106/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/history_and_facts/quick_facts.html |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |access-date=November 16, 2014}}

In 1973, BLM began a pilot project on the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range known as the Adopt-A-Horse initiative.Pitt, Kenneth. "The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act: A Western Melodrama." Environmental Law. 15:503 at 528 (Spring 1985) The program took advantage of provisions in the WFRHBA to allow private "qualified" individuals to "adopt" as many horses as they wanted if they could show that they could provide adequate care for the animals.Glover, Kristen H. "Managing Wild Horses on Public Lands: Congressional Action and Agency Response." North Carolina Law Review. 79:1108 (May 2001). At the time, title to the horses remained permanently with the federal government. The pilot project was so successful that BLM allowed it to go nationwide in 1976. The Adopt-a-Horse program quickly became the primary method of removing excess feral horses from BLM land given the lack of other viable methods. The BLM also uses limited amounts of contraceptives in the herd, in the form of PZP vaccinations; advocates say that additional use of these vaccines would help to diminish the excess number of horses currently under BLM management.Raia, Pat (March 1, 2009). [http://www.thehorse.com/articles/22892/blm-horses-whats-their-future "BLM Horses: What's Their Future."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225010226/http://www.thehorse.com/articles/22892/blm-horses-whats-their-future |date=December 25, 2014 }} The Horse. Accessed September 20, 2013.

File:Wild Burros.jpg burros in Red Rock Canyon|left]]

Despite the early successes of the adoption program, the BLM has struggled to maintain acceptable herd levels, as without natural predators, herd sizes can double every four years. As of 2014, there were more than 49,000 horses and burros on BLM-managed land, exceeding the BLM's estimated "appropriate management level" (AML) by almost 22,500.

The Bureau of Land Management has implemented several programs and has developed partnerships as part of their management plan for preserving wild burros and horses in the United States. There are several herds of horses and burros roaming free on 26.9 million acres of range spread out in ten western states. It is essential to maintain a balance that keeps herd management land and animal population healthy. Some programs and partnerships include the Mustang Heritage Foundation, U.S. Border Patrol, Idaho 4H, Napa Mustang Days and Little Book Cliffs Darting Team. These partnerships help with adoption and animal population as well as education and raising awareness about wild horses and burros."Programs: Wild Horse and Burro | BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT." BLM.gov Home Page | BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423142712/https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro |date=April 23, 2020 }}. Accessed April 27, 2017.

File:Ivanpah Solar Power Facility from the air 2014.jpg located on BLM-managed land in the Mojave Desert]]

In 2009, BLM opened Renewable Energy Coordination Offices in order to approve and oversee wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal projects on BLM-managed lands.{{Cite web |url=http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12195 |title=US Department of Energy, Bureau of Land Management to Establish Renewable Energy Offices, January 21, 2009 |access-date=January 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414175744/http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12195 |archive-date=April 14, 2009 |url-status=live }} The offices were located in the four states where energy companies had shown the greatest interest in renewable energy development: Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming.

• Solar energy. In 2010, BLM approved the first utility-scale solar energy projects on public land.{{Cite magazine |last=Friedman |first=Gabe |date=August 6, 2014 |title=Sun Land |url=http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/sun-land-solar-power-development |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020611/http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/sun-land-solar-power-development |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=live }} As of 2014, 70 solar energy projects covering {{convert|560,000|acres|km2}} had been proposed on public lands managed by BLM primarily located in Arizona, California, and Nevada.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/MINERALS__REALTY__AND_RESOURCE_PROTECTION_/energy/solar_and_wind.Par.99571.File.dat/fact_Solar.pdf |title=BLM Fact Sheet: Renewable Energy: Solar |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020951/http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/MINERALS__REALTY__AND_RESOURCE_PROTECTION_/energy/solar_and_wind.Par.99571.File.dat/fact_Solar.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} To date, it has approved 29 projects that have the potential to generate 8,786 megawatts of renewable energy or enough energy to power roughly 2.6 million homes. The projects range in size from a 45-megawatt photovoltaic system on {{convert|422|acres|ha}} to a 1,000-megawatt parabolic trough system on {{convert|7,025|acres|ha}}.
• Wind energy. BLM manages {{convert|20.6|e6acre|km2}} of public lands with wind potential.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/renewable_energy.html |title=New Energy for America |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121222852/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/renewable_energy.html |archive-date=November 21, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} It has authorized 39 wind energy development projects with a total approved capacity of 5,557 megawatts or enough to supply the power needs of over 1.5 million homes.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/wind_energy.html |title=Wind Energy |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020949/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/wind_energy.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} In addition, BLM has authorized over 100 wind energy testing sites.{{Cite journal |date=January 2013 |title=RENEWABLE ENERGY: Agencies Have Taken Steps Aimed at Improving the Permitting Process for Development on Federal Lands |url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/651362.pdf |journal=GAO Reports |volume=GAO-13-189 |page=6 |access-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207023439/http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/651362.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |url-status=live }}
• Geothermal energy. BLM manages 59 geothermal leases in producing status, with a total capacity of 1,500 megawatts.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/geothermal.html |title=Geothermal Energy |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021123/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/geothermal.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} This amounts to over 40% of the geothermal energy capacity in the United States.
• Biomass and bioenergy. Its large portfolio of productive timberlands leaves BLM with woody biomass among its line of forest products.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/wo/en/prog/more/forests_and_woodland/biomass.html |title=Woody Biomass and Bioenergy |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021220/http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/wo/en/prog/more/forests_and_woodland/biomass.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 18, 2014}} The biomass is composed of "smaller diameter materials" and other debris that result from timber production and forest management. Though the use of these materials as a renewable resource is nascent, the agency is engaged in pilot projects to increase the use of its biomass supplies in bioenergy programs.

The second Trump administration expressed plans to make significant changes the nature of the bureau. On January 28, 2025, Jon Raby was appointed as acting director {{cite news |url=https://www.lakecountyexam.com/townnews/politics/jon-raby-formerly-of-lakeview-blm-named-acting-national-director/article_a2a71c9c-dd06-11ef-bf51-c7eacff2bc9e.html |title= Jon Raby, formerly of Lakeview BLM, named acting national director |first=Lee |last=Juillerat |date=January 28, 2025 |newspaper=Lake County Examiner}} and President Trump nominated Kathleen Sgamma to become the director of the Bureau of Land Management.

At the start of her confirmation hearings before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Kathleen Sgamma withdrew her nomination by President Trump as director of the bureau of land management after a watchdog journalism organization in Manhattan, Documented reported comments she made in a 2021 post to a website about the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Her post read, “I am disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it”.Brown, Matthew, and Daily, Matthew, [https://apnews.com/article/trump-public-lands-nominee-withdrawal-sgamma-9280f6fca501d8ebe516ff783f1f69f8 Trump nominee for public lands post withdraws after her criticism of Jan. 6 Capitol attack surfaces], The Associated Press, April 10, 2025

• Range Improvement Funds
• Rangeland management
• Sagebrush Rebellion

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{{reflist|30em}}

• Skillen, James R. The Nation's Largest Landlord: The Bureau of Land Management in the American West (University Press of Kansas, 2009) 320 pp. [https://www.amazon.com/Nations-Largest-Landlord-Management-American/dp/0700618953/ excerpt and text search]
• United States. Congress. Senate. [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo54870 BLM Permit Processing: Hearing before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session . . . July 29, 2014.] Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2014.

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• {{official website|http://www.blm.gov/}}
• [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/land-management-bureau Bureau of Land Management] in the Federal Register
• [https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/blm/history/index.htm Opportunity & Challenge: The Story of BLM – Official History]

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Category:1946 establishments in the United States

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Category:Land management in the United States

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Category:Wildfire suppression agencies