Additional Amendment Made to the BLM's April 20, 2016 Oil and Gas Lease Sale
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The Bureau of Land Management's New Mexico State Office (BLM) announced today that 11 parcels totaling about 2,306 acres will be offered at its quarterly oil and gas lease sale scheduled for April 20, 2016, at the Marriott Courtyard in Santa Fe, New Mexico. These parcels are distributed over a two state area as follows: 6 parcels totaling 880 acres in Kansas, and 5 parcels totaling 1,426 acres in Oklahoma. The BLM had originally identified 43 parcels in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas to be offered at the April lease sale. The BLM New Mexico State Director has removed at her discretion 32 parcels originally planned for the sale. For 20 of the 32 parcels, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has withdrawn its consent to lease, including; one parcel on the Sabine National Forest, one parcel on the Sam Houston National Forest, and 18 parcels on the Davy Crockett National Forest. The BLM is deferring these parcels because it is not authorized to lease the minerals under national forest lands without USFS consent. Three additional parcels that are within the Davy Crockett National Forest boundary underneath private surface estate are being deferred to address environmental concerns raised during the protest period. One parcel underlying Army Corps of Engineers' land at Lake Lewisville has been deferred as portions of the parcel have recently been identified as being located within the city limits of Hickory Creek, Texas. Six additional parcels located on Corps of Engineer land at Lake Somerville and 2 parcels located on Bureau of Reclamation land at Choke Canyon Reservoir have also been deferred because the BLM needs additional time to evaluate public feedback received during the protest period for those parcels. Copies of the amendments to the April competitive oil and gas lease sale notice are available at: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas/lease_sale_notices/2016_lease_sales/april_2016_lease_sale.html
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.