BLM to offer 31 parcels in December oil and gas lease sale
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DENVER – The Bureau of Land Management will offer 31 parcels totaling 20,135 acres in the Royal Gorge, Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley field offices at its Dec. 8, 2016, quarterly oil and gas lease sale. The BLM will hold the lease sale online via www.energynet.com. Bidding will begin at 9 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Within the Royal Gorge Field Office, the BLM will offer six parcels, all federal minerals underlying private surface, within Washington, Lincoln, Las Animas and Huerfano counties. Within the Grand Junction Field Office, the BLM will offer 24 parcels, both federal surface and split estate, in Garfield and Mesa counties. In the Colorado River Valley Field Office, the BLM will offer one parcel including federal lands and minerals in Mesa County. A parcel being offered within the Grand Junction Field Office also crosses field office boundaries into the Colorado River Valley Field office.
Each lease, if issued, will contain stipulations and best management practices designed to address air quality and water resources while ensuring safe and environmentally responsible development. As part of leasing reform, the BLM may modify lease stipulations to accommodate site-specific resources.
The public may protest any of the parcels being offered in the sale until Nov. 14, 2016. Protests must be submitted to the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO 80215. The environmental assessments, lists and maps of the parcels, and the attached stipulations are online at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/
The State of Colorado receives 49 percent of the proceeds of each lease sale. In Fiscal Year 2015, Colorado received approximately $247 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.
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.