Natural Resources and Mining Law Blog
President Donald Trump has nominated Kathleen M. Sgamma, a 20-year advocate of the oil and gas industry, as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), is responsible for administering 245 million acres of federal public land and nearly 700 million acres of federal and state subsurface mineral estates. Sgamma notably was a member of the Royalty Policy Committee during Trump’s first term which advised the administration to streamline the permitting and review process for drilling on public lands and lower royalty rates on drillers and miners. Her nomination was announced on the Congressional Record Vol. 171, No. 28 on February 11, 2025.
Sgamma currently heads Western Energy Alliance, an oil and gas trade group representing 300 oil and natural gas companies, known for challenging regulatory restrictions on the oil and gas industry. Several past lawsuits brought by Western Energy Alliance against DOI, likely reflective of Sgamma’s policy stance, have sought to limit DOI leasing rules that raised royalty rates, challenge pauses on oil and gas leasing, and compel BLM to hold quarterly lease sales for federal minerals.
Sgamma recently showed enthusiastic support for the President’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, that called for unleashing “America’s affordable and reliable energy,” including oil and gas and domestic mining. Sgamma also worked on the energy section of the 900-page Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership” plan, specifically on the chapter “Restoring American Energy Dominance,” which called for rolling back Biden regulations and restoring oil, gas and mining leases in Alaska, Wyoming and Montana where leases had been suspended.
Along with the Trump administration’s policies, Sgamma’s appointment will likely address regulatory hurdles placed during the Biden administration and serve as a boost to the oil, gas, and mining industries.
Kerry Shapiro
Kerry Shapiro chairs the Natural Resources & Mining Practice Group at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. He has represented the mining, building materials, and other resource industries on mineral extraction and land development projects for more than 25 years. Kerry also serves as General Counsel to the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA). Contact Kerry at KShapiro@jmbm.com.
Ha Chung
Ha Chung is an environmental and land use lawyer at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. He advises clients on land use, development, water resources, and environmental regulatory compliance matters. Contact Ha at HChung@jmbm.com.
JMBM’s Natural Resources & Mining Law Group
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP has one of California’s leading natural resources and mining law practice groups. The group is comprised of lawyers with over 25 years of practice in law firms, government, and consulting, and provides companies and trade associations with unparalleled counseling, compliance, and litigation services in nearly every area of federal and California natural resources and mining law.