Within weeks of taking office, the Obama Administration withdrew 77 areas offered for oil and natural gas leases in Utah. The Department of the Interior eventually offered only 17 leases, preventing the creation of thousands of jobs. A federal judge ruled that Secretary Salazar “exceeded his statutory authority” by withdrawing the leases.

In 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized new rules to establish more government hurdles and red-tape to onshore oil and natural gas production on federal lands. The new rules impose further delays to the process of permitting, reviewing and leasing American energy projects.

Obama Administration policies have caused oil and natural gas production to decline on federal lands. The total onshore acreage leased under the Obama Administration in 2009 and 2010 are the lowest in over two decades, stretching back to at least 1984.

• In 2008 there were 2,416 new oil and natural gas leases issued on BLM land spanning 2.6 million acres. In 2010, under the Obama Administration, the number of new leases issued dropped to 1,308 and acres leased dropped to 1.3 million.

The Obama Administration’s onshore energy policies have been especially harmful in the West, where 95% of federal onshore oil and natural gas production occurs.

• According to Western Energy Alliance, from FY2008 to FY2011 in the West, BLM offered 81% less acreage, Federal Application for Permit to Drill approvals declined by 39%, and Federal leasing revenue dropped 44%.