BLM Requests Nominations and Comments for 2015 NPR-A Oil & Gas Lease Sale
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ANCHORAGE, AK—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today published a notice in the Federal Register for nominations and comments on available tracts to be considered for inclusion in the BLM’s fall 2015 oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). The notice announces the start of a 30-day period in which interested parties may nominate or comment on available tracts. The Federal Register notice is the first step in the process leading up to the next oil and gas lease sale, which is tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2015. BLM Alaska must receive all nominations and comments on these tracts for consideration on or before June 29, 2015. “This annual call for nominations and comments gives industry, conservation groups and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide input into which tracts should be included in or excluded from the sale,” according to Bud Cribley, BLM Alaska State Director. "These tracts were determined through a detailed and comprehensive process in the Integrated Activity Plan for the NPR-A." To select which tracts will be available for the oil and gas lease sale, the BLM will consider any nominations and comments received, existing natural resource and environmental data, the location of existing leases, multiple use conflicts, resource potential, industry interest, and other available information. There are 871 tracts on approximately 9.8 million acres that will be available for nomination and comment under this lease sale. Currently, there are 212 authorized oil and gas leases totaling 1,799,633 acres in the NPR-A. A map showing available areas is available on the BLM website: http://www.blm.gov/ak. |
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.