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Consistent with the direction in the Inflation Reduction Act, the public review and comment period is open on a proposal to offer parcels in North Dakota for a competitive oil and gas lease sale proposed by the Bureau of Land Management this coming September.

The environmental assessment analyzes 32 parcels covering 10,735.41 acres. The environmental assessment and unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact are available for a 30-day public review and comment period which runs through June 26, 2023. Public scoping on the proposal was held during April 2023.

All parcels leased as part of an oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources. Comments received from the public will be analyzed and incorporated into the environmental analysis as appropriate.

The environmental assessment, draft finding of no significant impact, spatial data and exhibits, and information on how to submit a public comment is available on the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023957/510.

This BLM lease sale will include updated fiscal provisions authorized by Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act:

• 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 percent, up from the previous minimum of 12.5 percent; 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 for 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).

Further information can be found online at https://www.blm.gov/policy/im-2023-008.