AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.A pair of proposals from the Trump administration would lower costs and weaken requirements for fossil fuel companies that drill on federal property.Listen · 4:19 min One proposal would lower the cost of the bonds that fossil fuel companies must pay the Interior Department before they start drilling or mining on public lands.Credit...Paul Ratje for The New York TimesJune 22, 2026, 2:33 p.m. ETThe Trump administration on Monday moved to relax environmental rules governing the extraction of oil, gas and coal from public lands across the country.The Interior Department issued a pair of proposed rules that would reduce costs and weaken requirements for fossil fuel companies that operate on federal lands. The first rule would drastically lower the fees that companies must pay before drilling, while the second could allow firms to release more methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.Together, the proposals were the latest effort by the Trump administration to boost drilling and mining on millions of acres of lands and waters that the federal government owns. President Trump has summarized his energy policies as “drill, baby, drill,” and his administration has taken sweeping actions to dismantle environmental regulations, sideline conservation and fast-track the leasing of public lands for fossil fuel production.Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement on Monday that the moves would ease burdensome restrictions on domestic energy production.“Energy dominance requires regulatory clarity,” Mr. Burgum said. “These targeted updates cut through the red tape that has historically deterred investment, ensuring our public lands remain a reliable engine for economic growth and innovation.”The first proposal would significantly lower the cost of the bonds that fossil fuel companies must pay the Interior Department upon purchasing a drilling lease on multiple public lands in a state, from $500,000 to $25,000.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT