Federal lands available for oil and gas production in the San Joaquin Valley

Robert Rodriguez, The Fresno Bee on Jul 2, 2026

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A huge swath of public land in California, including portions of the San Joaquin Valley, may one day be dotted with oil and gas equipment under a plan by the federal government to expand production.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced in June its decision to make available more than 1 million acres of public and private land, with government mineral rights attached, to be leased for oil or gas extraction.

The move is a key part of the Trump administration’s policy to boost energy exploration and production on federal lands in a more affordable and reliable manner.

The president calls the executive order “Unleashing American Energy.” Others call it a threat to the environment.

“First and foremost, oil and gas production is inherently dangerous because it releases pollution that affects the environment and the surrounding communities,” said Cooper Kass, staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “The more oil and gas production there is, the worse climate change becomes.”

Areas within the BLM’s Bakersfield region available for possible leasing include portions of Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera and San Joaquin counties. In the Central Coast region, the counties include Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.

In Fresno County, a majority of the leasing area is on the western edge of the county and in the foothills to the east.

Nathan Magsig, a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors who represents the east side, is a supporter of the move to find new sources of oil and gas, even if it’s in his district’s backyard.

Magsig said California’s role as one of nation’s leading oil producers peaked in the mid-1980s, while many of its refineries have shut down over the years.

“In my opinion, California needs to become energy independent,” he said. “Right now, we are spending billions of dollars to bring in imported refined fuel to the state.”

How much interest will there be in applying for the new leases remains to be seen.

Gabriel Garcia, district manager for the Central California District of the BLM, said the last time the agency held a lease sale was in 2020. Since then, a backlog of requests has been accumulating.

Once a leasing request is received, it can take between six and nine months for the lease to go through the environmental review process and public comment period.

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