Senator Presses Bureau on 3½-Year Delay in Issuing December 2020 Oil and Gas Leases

An unnamed senator pressed a representative of "the bureau" at a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing to explain why leases won in a December 2020 oil and gas lease sale have not been issued, noting the delay from 2020 to 2024.

“Mister Stonehenge, the bureau has yet to issue leases to the winning bidders of the December 2020 oil and gas leases,” the senator said, adding that the delay had stretched to more than three and a half years. The senator also said that “the law requires you issue the leases within 60 days.”

Amber Bross, identified in the transcript only by name, replied: “Senator, thank you for that question. We are still working our way through multiple court decisions. When we issue them, we want them to be durable and stick.” When the senator pressed for a specific date, Bross said, “Senator, I don't have a date for you at this time.”

Why it matters: lease winners commonly expect timely issuance so they can begin required planning and compliance steps; extended delays can affect project timelines and contractual obligations. The transcript does not identify which bureau was addressed nor does it name the statute the senator referred to when saying leases must be issued "within 60 days."

What happened next: the senator reiterated that the delay—"3 and a half years"—was unacceptable and asked again for a date; the exchange ended with the senator moving to the next question. The hearing record shows no date for issuance and no formal action was taken during this exchange.

The transcript excerpts the core exchange but does not provide additional context such as which specific court decisions are at issue, the identity or role of "Mister Stonehenge," the bureau's internal timeline, or a statutory citation for the 60-day requirement.