EnergyNet auctions off oil and gas leases for state and federal lands—and business is booming under the Trump Administration.
As the Trump Administration has taken steps to expand oil and gas drilling, advocates have sounded the alarm against the privatization and destruction of protected open space. But one company has carved out a niche as "the platform through which this massive opening of federal lands for energy extraction will happen."
In Outside Online, Mya Frazier profiles EnergyNet, an online auction platform specializing in oil and gas leases. Thanks to exclusive contracts with state agencies and the Bureau of Land Management, leases for public land accounted for fully half the site's business—$600 million in transactions—in 2017.
In the piece, Frazier outlines the lobbying and business practices that have enabled the Texas company to make public land auctions increasingly profitable, frequent, and tucked away from public scrutiny or protest.
FULL STORY: The Private Company Selling Off America's Public Lands
Trump Administration Reopens California Public Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling
A decision by the Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 3 may reverse the outcome of a 2013 lawsuit against the Obama administration by two environmental groups that effectively halted drilling in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties.
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Western Conservationists, Tribes File Legal Motion to Defend Public Lands Rule
Some states and industry groups have sued to stop the Bureau of Land Management from enforcing the new rule, which promotes the conservation and restoration of public lands and shifts focus away from extractive uses.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
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New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
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Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
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Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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