BLM Wyoming proposes to offer 195 parcels in 2022 oil and gas lease sale
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office plans to offer 195 parcels totaling about 179,001 acres in an oil and gas lease sale in the first quarter of calendar year 2022.
We held a scoping period to solicit input on 459 parcels initially proposed for the deferred BLM Wyoming March and June 2021 oil and gas lease sales. Based on that input and our subsequent environmental review, we have decided to carry forward 195 of those proposed parcels.
The recently completed public scoping and preparations for the planned lease sale comply with a district court’s preliminary injunction. That injunction, issued over the summer and pending appeal, directs the federal onshore oil and gas leasing program to continue while under ongoing review. After evaluating scoping comments and conduction internal analysis, including consideration of protecting greater sage-grouse habitat, BLM Wyoming plans to defer over 260 parcels containing approximately 382,882 acres in Priority Habitat Management Areas (PHMA), which BLM is analyzing in the Modified Proposed Action in the EA and will continue to evaluate based on ongoing public comment and internal review.
With public scoping now completed, the BLM will consider public comments on our analysis as we complete an environmental assessment looking at each parcel. As previously announced, parcels included for scoping include those that were deferred in the first and second quarters of 2021 due to the pause implemented under Executive Order 14008.
The BLM meticulously reviews the proposed parcels to determine that leasing each of them will conform to all applicable policies and land use plans. All parcels will include appropriate protections and stipulations, such as seasonal timing limitations and controlled surface use to protect sage-grouse habitat and other important natural resources.
Today kicks off a 30-day public comment period on the lease sale’s environmental assessment. To provide feedback or learn more about the proposal, please visit our ePlanning site, where you can access our analysis of potential impacts from the sale, lists and maps of the proposed parcels and the stipulations attached to each, and an online comment portal. The BLM will review and consider all input we receive before reaching a final decision, but specific comments addressing distinct parcels or resource concerns are the most helpful.
Wyoming is one of the country’s top energy producers on public lands. In 2018, BLM Wyoming raised nearly $117 million through oil and gas lease sales. About half the revenue from each lease sale goes directly to the State of Wyoming and, when leasing results in production, the state also receives about half the resulting royalties. This revenue from leasing and development funds the U.S. Treasury as well as important local priorities including public education, infrastructure, and other state and local priorities.
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.