May 20, 2026

DENVER – Following a record $4 billion sale of federal oil and natural gas leases by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Western Energy Alliance today applauded Trump Administration for delivering on its commitment to unleash American energy. The sale demonstrates the success of the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act in reversing restrictive energy policies of the previous administration and the value of developing energy domestically on multiple-use public lands.

Today, BLM-New Mexico held an online sale through the bidding site Efficient Markets that netted $4,007,944,870 in revenues from bids on 33,530 acres of federal minerals. The highest bid was $357,129 per acre for a 640-acre parcel.

“Americans see every time they go to the pump that we need to produce energy at home. As the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, we need to continue that energy dominance for our future prosperity,” said, Alliance President Melissa Simpson. “Today’s sale results show the market responds when obstructive barriers are removed and the law is followed. In the 16 months since President Trump took office, BLM has held five lease sales in New Mexico. It took four years for the Biden Administration to hold that many, and the results couldn’t be more stark. In Trump’s time in office, BLM has earned nearly $4.5 billion cumulatively from lease sales in the state compared to $140 million total by Biden. While energy producers faced high royalty rates and other punitive policies passed in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, under Trump those policies were reversed in the One, Big Beautiful Bill, and today we’re seeing record results.”

“Beyond the national economic and geopolitical backdrop surrounding today’s sale, it’s important to point out that local New Mexicans benefit tremendously here. By law, nearly half the sale revenues are shared with the state. Therefore, more than $2 billion will be available to fund local schools, hospitals, local infrastructure projects and more in the state. It’s really unfortunate how New Mexico suffered under Biden’s policies and were deprived of a valuable stream of funding. Fortunately, that trend is being reversed under the current administration and residents will soon have record amounts of funds available to improve their communities,” added Simpson.

Today’s lease sale surpasses the previous record sale that received $972 million in bids in New Mexico under President Trump in September 2018. The New Mexico sale comes on the heels of another record sale in North Dakota that earned $44.3 million in bids.

# # #