Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, "administers 261 million surface acres of America's public lands, located primarily in 12 Western States. The BLM sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations."

Federal coal leasing
For more details, see the article Federal coal leasing.

The Bureau of Land Management controls about a third of U.S. coal reserves, administered through the federal coal leasing program. Federal coal is concentrated mainly west of the Mississippi. Most of the coal leased in the key Powder River Basin is federally owned. The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended, give the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) responsibility for coal leasing on about 570 million acres of BLM, national forest and other Federal lands, as well as private lands where the mineral rights have been retained by the Federal Government. The BLM is charged with assuing that the development of coal resources is done in an environmentally sound manner and is in the best interests of the Nation.

Regulations that govern the BLM's coal leasing program are in Title 43, Groups 3000 and 3400 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is also available on-line from the Government Printing Office (www.access.gpo.gov).

Key Personnel
Listing of BLM Directorates and Groups
 * James M. Hughes, Director (Acting - July 2007)
 * Henri Bisson, Deputy Director
 * James M. Hughes, Deputy Director
 * Luke Johnson, Chief of Staff
 * Ron Huntsinger, Natural Resources Sciences Coordinator

Former Staff

 * Kathleen B. Clarke, Former Director

Program Links

 * BLM: What We Do.
 * Oil & Gas Lease Sales.

Documents

 * Instruction Memorandum: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance for Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Development, Bureau of Land Management, September 30, 2005.

Contact Details
BLM Office of Public Affairs 1849 C Street, Room 406-LS Washington, DC 20240 Phone: (202) 452-5125 Fax: (202) 452-5124 URL: http://www.blm.gov

SourceWatch Resources

 * Energy Policy Act of 2005
 * Environmental Protection Agency
 * Healthy Forests Initiative
 * National Energy Policy
 * oil industry