BLM Approves 6,000 Drilling Permits in 2025, Highest in 15 Years

The Bureau of Land Management approved 6,106 Applications for Permits to Drill on federal and Indian lands in 2025, the most in any year since 2008 and a 55 percent increase over the prior year. The surge followed Trump executive orders directing agencies to maximize domestic energy production and expedite environmental reviews. BLM reported approving 5,740 federal APDs from January 20 through December 31, 2025, as the agency curtailed National Environmental Policy Act analyses that had slowed permitting under the Biden administration.