A Colorado motorcycle instructor and Desert Storm veteran is continuing his fight against oil and gas drilling rights beneath his mountain after federal regulators rejected his protest. Joel Mayne, who lives near Craig in northern Colorado, had organised local landowners to oppose the US Bureau of Land Management’s decision to sell mineral rights beneath Baker’s Peak.Mayne’s protest was rejected by the BLM, and the agency went ahead with the December 2025 lease sale that included the Baker’s Peak leases. Mayne appealed the decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals in Washington, DC. His case is now part of a wider debate over the scale of oil and gas leasing on federal land in Colorado.According to The Colorado Sun, the BLM is preparing a major expansion of federal oil and gas lease sales across the state. From the December 2025 auction, which included the Baker’s Peak leases, through planned sales in December 2026, the agency is expected to offer more than 400,000 acres for drilling across six auctions.The scale of the planned sales is significant. The acreage is spread across different parts of Colorado, from the Routt National Forest area near the Wyoming border to areas close to the Oklahoma state line and the Comanche National Grassland. The proposed leasing also includes the Roan Plateau near Grand Junction.For Mayne, however, the issue is more local. He is challenging drilling rights beneath the mountain where he lives and has brought other landowners into the dispute. After the BLM rejected their objections, he continued the case through the federal appeals process.
Why Colorado Is Seeing More Lease Sales
The increase in leasing activity follows changes in federal energy policy. During President Donald Trump’s second term, executive orders including “Unleashing American Energy” and the declaration of a National Energy Emergency provided the backdrop for increased energy development on federal land.Another major change came through H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law requires Colorado and eight other oil-producing states to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales.Under the new process, the oil and gas industry nominates the acres it wants considered for leasing. At least 50% of the nominated parcels must be offered in the first auction, while all the nominated acreage must be put up for sale within 18 months.The result has been a sharp increase in the amount of federal land being offered. Colorado had 155,000 acres sold in June and another 124,766 acres scheduled for a December sale, according to the report. The Center for Western Priorities said the administration had offered 287,765 acres in Colorado so far, with 215,128 acres already sold.The organisation also counted 296 unused permits on federal land in Colorado. These permits are separate from the acreage being offered through the new lease sales.
How Much Federal Land Is Already Leased
The BLM reported at the end of 2025 that about 2 million acres of federal land in Colorado were already leased for drilling. Of that acreage, 73% was actively producing oil or gas.The next auction mentioned in the report is scheduled to cover 29 parcels and 14,095 acres. One part of the sale includes about 600 acres near the Aurora Reservoir in Arapahoe County. Residents in the area have previously opposed drilling activity there.The planned auctions cover areas with different landscapes and communities. While the federal government is looking at the acreage as potential land for energy development, local residents such as Mayne are challenging individual leasing decisions.
