The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has finalized its regulations governing oil and gas development on National Forest System lands. Officials say this will modernize the process while maintaining environmental protections.

The changes were announced on January 27 by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. They said the changes align with the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce regulatory barriers and increase U.S. energy production.

The Forest Service says the new rule improves clarity on how different federal agencies work together when approving oil and gas projects.

Allegheny National Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist Alisen Downs emphasized that the rule does not change requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, or other federal environmental laws.

The rule, now published in the Federal Register, updates federal oil and gas leasing procedures by establishing a single, clearly defined leasing decision point. The changes are intended to improve coordination between the Forest Service, which manages the land surface, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages underground mineral resources.

“President Trump has made it clear that unleashing American energy requires a government that works at the speed of the American people, not one slowed by bureaucratic red tape,” Rollins said in a statement. She said the revisions will give energy producers greater certainty while supporting job creation, affordable energy, and management of public lands.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the rule replaces what he described as bureaucratic delays with a more efficient process. “By streamlining permitting and cutting bureaucracy, we are lowering costs for families, creating jobs, and securing our nation, all while protecting our public lands,” he said.

Downs also stressed that the rule itself is administrative in nature and does not approve any new drilling or leases. It only changes the paperwork and coordination process.

In a clarification provided by Downs, the Allegheny National Forest Service noted that 93% of the oil and gas resources in Allegheny National Forest lands are privately owned, with the remaining resources federally owned and managed by the BLM. The Forest Service said the updated rule will not change its role in managing surface use and is expected to have little to no impact on coordination with the BLM or private companies for future oil and gas proposals in the area.

Nationwide, 5,154 federal oil and gas leases currently cover approximately 3.8 million acres, or about 2%, of National Forest System lands. Of those, roughly 2,850 leases spanning 1.8 million acres across 39 national forests and grasslands include producing federal oil or gas wells.