BLM Colorado Unveils New Website to Track and Encourage Public Participation in Quarterly Oil and Natural Gas Lease Sales
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The Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office is unveiling a new website to highlight its quarterly oil and natural gas lease sales and create an easy, transparent process to engage the public in light of oil and gas leasing reform.The new pages will emphasize opportunities for the public to learn about upcoming oil and gas lease sales and outline a clear process for how to provide comments on those sales. The BLM has always posted this information online; however, the new website provides a centralized location that is easier to navigate.“The BLM’s goal is to engage the public in the oil and natural gas leasing process, and to make the public’s participation as simple and easy as possible,” said Lonnie Bagley, BLM Colorado Deputy State Director for Energy, Lands and Minerals. “The new website provides all the information required as part of oil and natural gas leasing reform in one place that is easy for the public to find.”To view the website as well as information on upcoming oil and gas lease sales, visit https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/regional-lease-sales/coloradoIn fiscal year 2010, extraction of energy and mineral resources from public lands yielded $40 billion worth of resources, with an economic impact of $103 billion nationally. Traditional energy development is important in Colorado and accounted for 22,912 jobs along the Western Slope in FY 2010. The State of Colorado received more than $156.8 million in FY 2011 from royalties, rentals and bonus bid payments for all federal minerals, including oil, gas and coal.
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.