BLM Colorado State Office posts sale notice
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The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado will offer 42 parcels totaling 10,980 acres within the Royal Gorge Field Office and 44 United States Forest Service parcels totaling 25,215 acres within the Pawnee National Grassland. The quarterly competitive oil and gas lease sale is scheduled for 9 a.m., May 14, 2015, at the Colorado State Office in Lakewood.
The Forest Service analyzed the Pawnee National Grassland parcels in a separate analysis and gave the BLM consent to offer them in this sale. All the Forest Service parcels include a No Surface Occupancy stipulation, which means the lessee will have access to the subsurface minerals and not the surface acreage. Leases with this stipulation are typically accessed by using directional/horizontal drilling methods. The BLM will continue to work with the Forest Service if the parcels are leased and the lessee submits an Application for a Permit to Drill.
Every BLM lease contains standard terms and stipulations designed to protect air, water, wildlife habitat, and historic and cultural resources as well as reclamation requirements.
The public has 30 days to protest any of the parcels being offered in the sale. The deadline for submitting protests is 4 p.m., March 16, 2015. All protests must be received by the BLM Colorado State Office, located at 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO 80215. A map of all the parcels and associated environmental analysis for those areas are posted online: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease/2015/may_2015_lease_sale.html.
The State of Colorado receives 49 percent of the proceeds of each lease sale. In Fiscal_Year 2014, Colorado received approximately $169 million from royalties, rentals and bonus bid payments for all federal minerals, including oil and gas. Statewide, more than 22,900 jobs are tied to mineral and energy development on public lands.
For additional lease sale information visit: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease.html.
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.