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The Bureau of Land Management held its quarterly oil and gas lease sale December 3, 2009 at the BLM Eastern States Office. The BLM offered 65 parcels in Arkansas and Louisiana. Ten parcels were sold in Johnson County, Arkansas; five parcels were sold in Louisiana in Caddo, DeSoto, Red River and Bienville Parishes. The fifteen combined parcels were sold for $4,345,506.50. The highest per-acre bid of the auction was Petrohawk Properties, LP of Tulsa, OK at $25,000.00 per acre for 40 acres in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Leases are awarded for a term of ten years and as long thereafter as there is production of oil and gas in paying quantities. The Federal government receives a royalty of 12 and one-half percent of the value of production. Each state government receives a 25 percent minimum share of the bonus bid and the royalty revenue from each lease issued in that state.

The BLM manages more land -- 253 million acres -- than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.