Before the clock strikes 12 on the current administration, the federal Bureau of Land Management, the agency that controls more land in the United States than anyone else, has planned seven auctions to lease federal land in nine states for oil and gas development despite an oil glut and industry activity at record lows.

When deciding how to manage roughly 250 million surface acres, the bureau is supposed to uphold a multiple-use mandate to ensure balance among energy development, mining, livestock grazing, outdoor recreation, and all other uses. Unfortunately, under the leadership of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, the agency has violated this obligation by prioritizing oil and gas CEOs over the public. Instead of working to get taxpayers fair market value for leasing and drilling on our public lands, the agency is assuring taxpayers are shortchanged.