IPAA - Independent Petroleum Association of America
05/11/2026 | Press release | Archived content
IPAA Commends Trump Administration’s Rescission of Flawed Public Lands Rule
May 11, 2026 IPAA Commends Trump Administration's Rescission of Flawed Public Lands Rule
WASHINGTON - Today, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Chief Policy Officer and EVP Dan Naatz issued the following statement in response to the Department of the Interior's rescinding the Bureau of Land Management's Public Lands Rule:
IPAA EVP and Chief Policy Officer Dan Naatz: "IPAA welcomes the Trump Administration's decision to repeal the Bureau of Land Management's Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which elevated conservation as a co-equal "use", creating uncertainty around access and risking constraints on current land usage. The Mineral Leasing Act is clear in its multiple-use framework and this action provides greater clarity and predictability for independent oil and natural gas producers-many of whom rely on consistent permitting and leasing processes to operate efficiently and invest in domestic energy supply. IPAA supports policies that ensure continued access to federal resources while maintaining strong environmental stewardship, and we look forward to working with the administration to advance pragmatic reforms that promote energy security, economic growth, and responsible land management."
Background and recent IPAA activity on the Conservation and Landscape Health rule:
In September 2025, IPAA supported the initial announcement from Interior that they planned to rescind the rule.
In June 2025, IPAA wrote a letter to Secretary Burgum listing rescinding the rule among its top three issues of importance to independent producers operating on federal lands and waters.
In 2023, IPAA supported H.R. 3397 from Rep. John Curtis which required the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw a rule of the BLM relating to conservation and landscape health.
Also in 2023, IPAA and a coalition including businesses in many areas of the broader economy, including energy, mining, grazing, and other community stakeholders, submitted comments to then-Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone Manning urging the bureau to reconsider the rule, noting the ways in which the rule is both misguided policy and legally problematic.
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
IPAA is a national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers operate 95 percent of the nation's oil and natural gas wells and are responsible for 85 percent of U.S. oil production and 90 percent of natural gas production onshore. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on X.
IPAA is a national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers operate 95 percent of the nation's oil and natural gas wells and are responsible for 85 percent of U.S. oil production and 90 percent of natural gas production onshore. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on X.
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