Wyoming Energy Consultants Nominates 70,000 Acres for Oil Lease Auction

Wyoming Energy Consultants has nominated nearly 70,000 acres of land in the Shoshone National Forest for a federal oil and gas lease auction scheduled for June 2027.

The Casper-based company filed expressions of interest for 38 parcels near the town of Dubois in late August. These nominations represent more than 55 percent of the total acreage proposed for the state in the quarterly Bureau of Land Management auction. Across Wyoming, the current assessment covers 104 parcels totaling 123,166 acres. The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comment on the proposals until November 27, 2026.

Local landowners are raising concerns about the specific location of the proposed drilling rights. Budd Betts, owner of Absaroka Ranch and a former state lawmaker, noted that the area has historically been considered to have low oil and gas potential. Betts stated that wildcat wells from the 1970s and 1980s in the region were capped and reclaimed after failing to produce significant yields. He described the current nominations as inconsistent with the community’s focus on tourism and outdoor recreation.

The proposed parcels sit north and south of U.S. Highway 26/287 and overlap with critical habitat for the Wiggins Fork Elk Herd and the Dubois Mule Deer Herd. Nick Dobric of The Wilderness Society provided an analysis showing that nearly 19,500 acres of the proposed leases intersect the Upper Wind River Mule Deer Migration Corridor. More than 3,000 acres of these leases cover high-use portions of the migration route. Another 5,400 acres overlap stopover habitat, and 1,400 acres cover areas designated as both high-use and stopover.

Jon Robinett, a former manager of Diamond G Ranch, warned that road construction for exploratory wells would increase traffic and impact wildlife. He described the area as a major thoroughfare for elk, deer, antelope, and bears. Jeremy Prine, whose family has owned Ram's Horn Ranch for nearly eight decades, also opposed the leases due to the wildness of the terrain. Robert Hoskins, a longtime resident, questioned why Dubois was targeted for development.

Will Schultz, habitat protection supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said the agency is in a unique position because the migration corridor was identified but not formally designated in 2024. Without formal designation, the leases do not automatically carry restrictive stipulations regarding surface disturbance. Schultz said the department is currently coordinating with the Bureau of Land Management and the national forests to protect the migration route. Game and Fish commissioners will also consider whether to restart the process of formally protecting the corridor, a decision that will ultimately rest with Gov.-elect Eric Barlow.