< All Press Releases

SANTA FE, NM - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has scheduled a two-week public scoping period for input on 16 parcels (7,619.46 acres) of federal minerals proposed for the November 2019 competitive oil and gas lease sale. The public scoping period will begin May 28 and conclude on June 10. The lease sale is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 7, 2019.

This scoping process is intended to solicit public input on relevant issues, potential impacts, and alternatives that the BLM should address in an environmental assessment to be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The BLM will consider all substantive comments received during the public scoping period to ensure the potential environmental consequences are analyzed in a manner that allows the BLM to make an informed decision about the proposed competitive lease sale.

Revenues from onshore oil and gas production on federal lands directly fund the U.S. Treasury, state budgets and support public education, infrastructure improvements, and other state-determined priorities. Forty-eight percent of lease sale revenue goes to the state while the rest goes to the U.S. Treasury. The state also receives half of the revenue from royalties if oil and gas is developed on the lease.

New Mexico state revenue from oil and natural gas production has reached a record high, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan New Mexico Tax Research Institute. The February 2019 report shows that New Mexico’s General Fund and public schools benefitted from $2.2 billion in oil and natural gas taxes and revenues in fiscal year 2018, an all-time high, and an increase of $465 million from fiscal year 2017. In fact, nearly 40 percent of the State of New Mexico’s budget comes from oil and gas revenue. Oil and gas exploration and production also supports thousands of jobs and scores of communities across the state.

The BLM is a key contributor to the Trump Administration's America-First Energy Plan, which is an all-of-the-above plan that includes oil and gas, coal, strategic minerals, and renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, and solar – all of which can be produced on public lands.

The parcels proposed for the competitive lease sale were nominated by industry representatives. Those parcels were identified as available for possible oil and gas leasing under current BLM land-use plans. The parcels in New Mexico include five in Eddy County, five in Lea County, and four in Sandoval County. The parcels in Oklahoma include one in Dewey County and one in Woodward County.

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended, require the BLM to promote exploration and development of federal minerals. Providing an opportunity for individuals and/or companies to lease identified federal mineral estate through a competitive lease sale process also meets the Department of the Interior’s goal of strengthening America’s energy security.

Additional information, including the draft parcel list, spatial data, and exhibits, can be obtained online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/regional-lease-sales/new-mexico. 

This website will link you to ePlanning, where interested individuals and parties can provide written comments.

Those who provide comments on scoping issues are advised that before including their address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information, please be aware that the entire public scoping comment – including the personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their public scoping comments to withhold personal identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.

For more information, please contact BLM Land Law Examiner Lourdes Ortiz at (505) 954-2146.