GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming has released an environmental assessment analyzing oil and gas parcels for a proposed lease sale in September.
The lease sale would include the following fiscal provisions, the BLM said in a news release.
- Minimum bids for all offered parcels will be $10 per acre, an increase from the $2 per acre minimum bid set in 1987;
- Royalty rates will be 16.67%, up from the previous minimum of 12.5%; and
- Rental rates will be $3 per acre for the first two years, $5 per acre for years three through eight, and $15 per acre in years nine and ten. Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, rental rates were $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre for each year thereafter, rates originally set in 1987.
The Inflation Reduction Act authorized the raises.
The public comment period regarding the environmental assessment, parcels and potential deferrals ends April 7. The analysis includes 115 oil and gas parcels, which total about 95,419 acres. The BLM completed scoping on the parcels in January.
“BLM will use input from the public to help complete its review of each parcel and determine if leasing of these parcels conforms with all applicable laws, policies, and land use plans,” the release said. “All parcels that are leased as part of an oil and gas lease sale include appropriate protections and stipulations, such as seasonal timing limitations and controlled surface use to protect sage-grouse habitat and other important natural resources.”
The parcels the BLM’s analyzing, maps and instructions regarding how to comment are here.
The BLM has information regarding the Inflation Reduction Act in an online fact sheet.
