For Immediate Release: December 14, 2007
Contact: Denise Adamic 303-239-3671
Jim Sample 303-239-3861

BLM February 14 Oil & Gas Lease Sale Information Available

DENVER – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado today announced that information on its February 14, 2008, quarterly oil and gas lease sale is now available. In response to public requests that oil and gas lease sale information be made available as soon as possible, the BLM is posting the sale notice for 60 days, rather than the 45 days required by law. 

The BLM’s February lease sale includes 45 parcels covering 33,987 acres, including 30 parcels involving split-estate lands, where a private entity owns the surface rights and the federal government owns the subsurface mineral rights.

The lease sale will offer parcels in 11 counties (several parcels overlap county lines) including:
· Archuleta, 2
· Baca, 2
· Delta, 3
· Dolores, 11
· Garfield, 3
· Gunnison, 2
· Montezuma, 12
· Montrose, 5
· Rio Blanco, 2
· San Miguel, 6
· Yuma, 1
 
National BLM policy requires that all protests filed on nominated parcels must include the specific serial number of the parcel being protested and must be received by the BLM either by mail, hand delivery, or fax by 4:00 p.m. by January 30, 2008.  If a protest is filed by fax, it must be sent to 303-239-3799.  This policy allows the Bureau to review protests in advance of the sale, make an appropriate announcement of protests at the sale, and meet the statutory deadline for issuing leases.  While protested parcels may still be offered, bidders are notified that no lease will be issued until protests are resolved.

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and the 1987 Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act authorize leasing of federal oil and gas resources.  The 1987 law, which amended the Mineral Leasing Act, requires each BLM state office to conduct oil and gas lease sales on at least a quarterly basis where there is interest to do so. 

“Of the total acreage managed by the BLM, less than one percent experiences surface disturbance from oil and gas activity,” said Acting BLM Colorado Deputy State Director () Duane Spencer. “To minimize impacts to the land, the Bureau analyzes the potential environmental effects from exploration and development before offering any leases for sale.” 

All leases come with stipulations (general requirements) on oil and gas activities to protect the environment; leases can also include specific restrictions, such as limits on seasons when drilling can occur and restrictions on surface occupancy by oil and gas operators.  BLM Colorado holds oil and gas lease sales on the second Thursday of February, May, August, and November. Lease sale information can be obtained online at: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/leasing.html, at each of the Bureau’s field offices, and the Public Room at the Colorado State Office in Lakewood.

Parties interested in receiving regular notification of oil and gas lease sales are encouraged to contact the State Office Public Room at 303-239-3600.  Notice documents may also be obtained by calling the Public Room up to 60 days before the sale and requesting a copy of the sale notice be sent to you.  There is a $5 charge for the sale notice.  Sale results can be requested approximately one week after the sale for an additional $5. 

The BLM manages over 8.3 million acres of public lands in Colorado. These lands are managed for a multitude of uses including recreation, mining, wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. The BLM oversees more than 27 million subsurface acres for mineral development in the state.

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