The Bureau of Land Management will offer roughly 35,000 acres in California for oil and gas leasing on December 1, putting 43 parcels in Kern, Kings, Fresno and San Luis Obispo counties on the auction block, the agency said on Thursday.
The sale follows BLM decisions in June that allowed federal oil and gas leasing to resume in its Bakersfield and Central Coast planning areas after years of litigation and environmental review.
Most federal drilling in California already happens in Kern County. BLM says more than 95% of federal drilling in the state occurs in established Kern County fields, supporting about 3,500 jobs and generating more than $200 million annually. Federal oil and gas royalties from the region total roughly $65 million to $90 million a year, with about half going back to California.
The December sale has been trimmed slightly since August, when BLM was considering 44 parcels covering about 36,000 acres. A 30-day protest period opened Wednesday and runs through November 2.
Companies still have to submit individual applications to drill, which will trigger another BLM review and environmental analysis before development can begin.
California has become increasingly dependent on imported crude.
California refineries received 119.9 million barrels of foreign crude during the first six months of 2026, according to California Energy Commission data. That was about 56% of total refinery crude supply. California-produced crude accounted for roughly 25%, with Alaska supplying most of the rest.
In 2025, foreign barrels supplied 61.1% of crude processed by California refineries. Domestic California production supplied just 22.9%.
The December auction will determine who gets access to another 35,000 acres. Any new barrels are still years and several permitting steps away from reaching a refinery.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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