U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Montana State Office
Montana State Office
| Contacts: | Mary Apple 406-896-5258 |
BLM Rejects Coal Lease Bid
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has rejected the only bid it received at its November 16 coal lease sale. The bid did not meet or exceed BLM’s estimate of the fair market value of the tracts.
Signal Peak Energy LLC submitted the high bid of $5,325,000 ($0.15 per recoverable ton) for five unleased coal tracts in Musselshell County. The BLM offered the tracts for sale in response to Signal Peak’s coal lease application. The tracts are located approximately 12 miles south of Roundup and are adjacent to Signal Peak’s Bull Mountains Mine No 1.
Signal Peak Energy LLC may request the Montana/Dakotas BLM to offer the coal lease tracts for sale again. The Montana/Dakotas BLM would consider reoffering the coal tracts for sale if it receives a written request to that effect from Signal Peak Energy LLC.
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