BLM to Hold Oil and Gas and Geothermal Lease Sales Week of September 8
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding two competitive oil and gas lease sales on Tuesday, September 9 at the BLM Nevada State Office,1340 Financial Blvd., Reno. Registration and assignment of bidding numbers begins at 8 a.m. and the sale begins at 9 a.m. each day. The first oil and gas lease sale will begin at 9 a.m. The second sale will begin at 1 p.m. A geothermal lease sale will also be held Wednesday, September 10.The first oil and gas sale includes 44 parcels totaling 64,449 acres. The parcels to be offered are in the Elko District, which includes the Tuscarora and Wells Field Offices. The previous Elko District sale was held on March 12, 2013. That sale generated $1,289,292.37, selling 31 parcels covering 38,684 acres through competitive and non-competitive sales.The second oil and gas sale includes 29 parcels totaling 53,707 acres. The parcels to be offered are in the Winnemucca and Carson City Districts. The previous Carson City District sale was held on December 11, 2012. That sale offered 49 parcels totaling 107,101 acres and there were no bids. There has not been an oil and gas lease sale for parcels on the Winnemucca District since 2010 when records for individual district sales started to be recorded.The BLM Nevada offers quarterly oil and gas sales. Parcels included are nominated by industry representatives well in advance of a sale. The BLM reviews each parcel location for any resource conflicts, which can result in stipulations placed on the parcel, deferral or partial deferral of a parcel.A complete summary of the parcels to be offered, GIS shapefiles and other documents related to the oil and gas sales are available online. The oil and gas lease is for a period of 10 years with annual rentals of $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre after that until production begins. Once a lease is producing, a royalty of 12.5 percent is charged. Half of the bid and rental receipts go to the state of Nevada.Geothermal Lease Sale-Wednesday, September 10The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding a competitive geothermal lease sale on Wednesday, September 10 at the BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno. Registration and assignment of bidding numbers begins at 8 a.m. and the sale begins at 9 a.m.The sale includes 2 parcels in Nevada totaling 3,438 acres. One parcel is located on the Winnemucca District, the second is located in the Carson City District. There will also be five parcels located in Oregon totaling 12,330 acres. The previous geothermal sale was held on June 11, 2013. That sale generated $13,888, selling 4 parcels covering 3,316 acres through competitive sales.Geothermal leases are for a 10-year period. Annual rental for a competitive lease is $2 per acre for the first year, and $3 per acre for lease years 2-10. Annual rental for a noncompetitive lease is $1 per acre for lease years 1-10. Additional environmental analysis would need to be conducted to receive permits to drill or build a facility to develop the energy from the geothermal source.A complete summary of the parcels to be offered, GIS shapefiles and other documents related to the geothermal lease sale are available online. Documents related to all lease sales are also available at the Information Access Center at the BLM Nevada State Office.
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.