BLM Colorado State Office Posts Sale Notice for 2015 November Oil and Gas Lease Sale
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DENVER – The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado will offer 19 parcels totaling 10,050 acres within the Royal Gorge Field Office and 102 United States Forest Service parcels totaling 79,487 acres within the Pawnee National Grassland. The quarterly competitive oil and gas lease sale is scheduled for 9 a.m., Nov. 12, 2015, at the Colorado State Office in Lakewood.
The Forest Service analyzed the Pawnee National Grassland parcels in a separate analysis and gave the BLM consent to offer them in this sale. All Forest Service parcels include a No Surface Occupancy stipulation, which means the lessee will have the right to access the subsurface minerals, but will not be able to undertake any surface disturbance on the lease. Leases with this stipulation are typically accessed by using directional/horizontal drilling methods. The BLM will continue to work with the Forest Service if the parcels are leased and the lessee submits an Application for a Permit to Drill.
Every BLM lease contains appropriate terms and stipulations designed to protect air, water, wildlife habitat, and historic and cultural resources as well as reclamation requirements.
The public has 30 days to protest any of the parcels being offered in the sale. The deadline for submitting protests is 4 p.m., Sept. 14, 2015. Protests must be submitted to the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO 80215. A map of all the parcels and associated environmental analysis for those areas are posted online:www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease/2015/november_2015_lease.html.
The State of Colorado receives 49 percent of the proceeds of each lease sale. In Fiscal Year 2014, Colorado received approximately $169 million from royalties, rentals and bonus bid payments for all federal minerals, including oil and gas. Statewide, more than 22,900 jobs are tied to mineral and energy development on public lands.
For additional lease sale information visit: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease.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.