California · Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Lokern-Buena Vista
BLM found a natural system, a wildlife resource and a natural process here, and its plan calls for special management. BLM's records place 29 oil and gas leases and 59 rights of way inside the line today, and four grazing allotments cover part of it. It covers 69,389 acres and was designated December 22, 2014, in the Bakersfield Resource Management Plan.
One of the 1,120 places the Bureau of Land Management has designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. This page shows its line, what BLM found there and what sits inside it.
The line
The rights of way
59 rights of way sit inside the line. BLM files 29 under oil & gas facilities, 15 under non-energy facilities, 13 under other energy facilities, 1 under enclosures & exclosures and 1 under none.
- CALIFORNIA RESOURCES ELK HILLS LLC11rights of way
- CHEVRON USA INC9rights of way
- SENTINEL PEAK RESOURCES4rights of way
- VALLEY WATER MGT CO3rights of way
- PG&E2rights of way
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO2rights of way
- CUYAMA PIPELINE CO2rights of way
- CHEVRON PIPE LINE CO2rights of way
- AERA ENERGY LLC2rights of way
- BAKERSFIELD OFFICE1right of way
- VICTORY OIL CO1right of way
- FRONTIER CALIFORNIA INC1right of way
- CARDINAL PIPELINE LP1right of way
- MIDSTREAM ENERGY PARTNERS1right of way
- CHEVRONTEXACO1right of way
- FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMIN1right of way
- PACIFIC PIPELINE SYSTEM LLC1right of way
- PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC1right of way
- WEST KERN WATER DIST1right of way
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO - LAND RIGHT WAY DEPT1right of way
- VICTORY OIL CO LLC1right of way
- PLAINS MARKETING LP1right of way
- BERRY PETROLEUM CO LLC1right of way
- SUNRISE POWER CO1right of way
- CROWN CASTLE GT CO LLC1right of way
- ELK HILLS POWER LLC1right of way
- VINTAGE PRODUCTION CALIFORNIA LLC1right of way
- OXY OF ELK HILLS1right of way
- USGS CA WATER SCIENCE CENTER1right of way
- CRIMSON CALIFORNIA PIPELINE LP1right of way
- KERN COUNTY (California)1right of way
The oil and gas leases
29 active oil and gas leases sit inside the line. 28 of them took effect before the area was designated on December 22, 2014.
- CALIFORNIA RESOURCES ELK HILLS LLC15leases
- AERA ENERGY LLC2leases
- SENTINEL PEAK RESOURCES CALIFORNIA LLC2leases
- BERRY PETROLEUM CO LLC2leases
- Holder not listed by BLM1lease
- A private individual, name withheld by this site1lease
- TRICOR ENERGY LLC1lease
- CRIMSON RESOURCE MANAGEMENT1lease
- CALIFORNIA RESOURCES PETROLEUM CORPORATION (CRC)1lease
- INDIGO MINERALS LLC1lease
- CATHER-HERLEY OIL CO1lease
- HOWARD E CAYWOOD INC1lease
Grazing allotments
4 grazing allotments cover part of this line. Their permittees aren't named here yet.
- Oil Field5,255acres
- North Naval Petroleum Reservation2,296acres
- Buena Vista Creek631acres
- Naval Pet Res.481acres
The nearest areas
- Ancient Lakeshores - Alkali SinksCalifornia · 402 acres · 1 right of way9miles
- Compensation LandsCalifornia · 281 acres · 1 right of way, a grazing allotment covering part of it12miles
- Ancient Lakeshores - Goose LakeCalifornia · 40 acres · 1 right of way18miles
- Chico MartinezCalifornia · 4,614 acres · 2 grazing allotments covering part of it19miles
- Bitter CreekCalifornia · 1,025 acres · 3 grazing allotments covering part of it30miles
Next to it
Compensation Lands Area of Critical Environmental Concern touches the line.
More from BLM's California office
Every area BLM's California office holdsThe proposed rule
A proposed rule, RIN 1004-AF53, would change how BLM drafts every land use plan, and how it designates ACECs like Lokern-Buena Vista. The comment window hasn't opened: the proposed rule wasn't in the Federal Register at our last check. The Watch sends one email the day it prints.
The rule's abstract
The purpose of this rulemaking is to establish in regulations an updated process for the approval of the development, revision, amendment, and maintenance of land use plans, as provided for by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Additionally, this rulemaking will provide clarification of the process the BLM uses for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.Unified Agenda entry for RIN 1004-AF53, Publication ID 2026, reginfo.gov (OMB OIRA), read Oct 18, 2026