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Bonus bids at the Bureau of Land Management's July 17 oil and gas lease sale in Billings totaled $3,397,124.The highest single-parcel bid was $880,000 submitted by Serka Services LLC of Vienna, Virginia, for an 80-acre Forest Service parcel located in Billings County, North Dakota. Serka Services LLC also submitted the highest per-acre bid at $11,000 per acre for the same parcel.All 112 parcels offered, totaling just under 48,870 acres, received bids. A total of 19 parcels were located in North Dakota, with the remaining 93 parcels located in South Dakota.Additional information regarding competitive sale lists, detailed results of sales, and the leasing process is available by writing the Bureau of Land Management, 5001 Southgate Dr., Billings, Mont. 59101, by calling (406) 896-5004, or at www.blm.gov/mt.Oil and gas leasing is driven by consumer demand, and competitive oil and gas lease sales are conducted on a quarterly basis at BLM's Montana/Dakotas State Office. Receipts from federal oil and gas leases are shared with the state or county where the lands are located. All leases are issued for a 10-year term.Potential environmental effects that could result from exploration and development are analyzed before any leases are offered for sale. All leases come with conditions on oil and gas activities to protect the environment that can include limits on when drilling can occur or restrictions on surface occupancy. Once an operator proposes exploration or development on a BLM-issued lease, further environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act is conducted to determine the site-specific need for various types of impact-limiting or mitigation measures. In addition, many operators routinely use Best Management Practices such as remote monitoring of producing wells and multiple wells per pad to minimize surface impacts.