BLM Eastern States State Office to hold online oil and gas lease sale March 19, 2020
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WASHINGTON – In keeping with the Administration’s goal of strengthening America’s energy independence, the Eastern States State Office announces a quarterly online oil and gas lease sale to be held March 19, 2020. The sale will include 1,126.03 acres located in Amite and Smith Counties, Mississippi; and Monroe County, Ohio.
The online auction will begin at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on www.energynet.com. Each parcel will have its own unique open bidding period with start and stop times clearly identified on the auction website. The open bidding period for each parcel will run for three hours from start to finish, and bids will be accepted only during a parcel’s open bidding period. The auction website is open to everyone; however, you must register as a bidder on the EnergyNet site before the sale in order to submit bids for any individual parcel.
The public may protest any of the parcels being offered in the sale until February 13, 2020. Protests may be submitted via U.S. Postal Service, postmarked by the due date, addressed to: BLM Eastern States, Attention: State Director, 20 M Street SE, Suite 950, Washington, D.C. 20003; or by fax to: 202-912-7798. Protests may not be emailed nor hand-delivered. The sale notice, environmental assessments, maps of the parcels, and the attached stipulations are linked at the BLM Eastern States State Office website here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/regional-lease-sales/eastern-states.
Oil and gas lease sales support domestic energy production and American energy independence. The BLM’s energy program follows an all-of-the-above approach that includes oil and gas, coal, strategic minerals and renewable sources, all of which can be developed on public lands.
A lease issued as a result of this sale will have a primary term of ten years. It will continue beyond its primary term as long as oil or gas in paying quantities is produced on or for the benefit of the lease. 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 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.