Montana State Office
| Contacts: | Greg Albright 406-896-5260 | |||
| Mary Apple 406-896-5258 |
BLM Delays Oil and Gas Lease Sales
In order to bring more certainty to industry and in light of expected litigation, the Bureau of Land Management in Montana and the Dakotas will delay scheduled oil and gas lease sales in order to complete additional environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. The next sale had been scheduled for April 13 and included 129 parcels in Montana and the Dakotas.
Until additional environmental reviews are completed, the BLM agreed to suspend 61 Montana oil and gas leases that were issued in 2008 and that were subject to a lawsuit. “Since we agreed to conduct additional environmental reviews on the 2008 leases, it only makes sense to complete additional environmental reviews before we offer new acreage for leasing,” said the BLM’s Montana State Director Gene Terland.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Montana State Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101