BLM offers land in Delta County for competitive lease sale
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MONTROSE, Colo.— The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado will host a competitive coal lease sale at 10 a.m. on July 30 for a lease by application filed by Bowie Resources, LLC, for a 1,789-acre tract in Delta County.
In September 2013, the BLM and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests jointly released a final environmental assessment to determine the scope of the LBA and address the cultural, socioeconomic, environmental and cumulative impacts that would likely result from leasing these coal lands.
A variety of mitigation measures were included in the decision, including protections for: Wild and Scenic Rivers, Threatened and Endangered Species, Migratory Birds, State Priority Species, Air Quality and Climate and Vegetation and Water Resources. These protections will help ensure that coal mining in the area continues to be conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner.
The sale will take place at the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO 80215. The BLM’s open, competitive leasing process awards the lease to the high bidder who successfully meets or exceeds the fair market value of the coal, which is determined by the BLM.
The minimum bid for the tract is $100 per acre or fraction thereof. All leases are subject to an annual rental fee of $3 per acre in addition to an 8 percent royalty payment for developed coal.
Currently, there are eight producing coal mines (six underground and two surface operations) encompassing 66,000 acres in the state. In Fiscal Year 2013, coal energy production on BLM Colorado public lands directly contributed $734 million to the economy, generating royalty revenue of $42 million, according to the Office of Natural Resource Revenue, and accounted for 5,936 direct and indirect jobs in Colorado.
For more information about participating in the competitive coal lease sale contact Kyle Free, Mining Engineer, at 303-239-3774, orkfree@blm.gov.
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.