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Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office announced it will offer 198 parcels covering 114,996 acres for the quarterly competitive oil and gas lease sale scheduled at 9 a.m., Feb. 14, 2013, at the Denver Marriott West Hotel, 1717 Denver West Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401.The parcels are located within the Little Snake, Royal Gorge, Tres Rios and Uncompahgre field offices. BLM Colorado will also offer four parcels in Arizona covering 8,887 acres within the Hassayampa Field Office.The parcels located in the Uncompahgre Field Office were deferred from the Aug. 9, 2012 lease sale. Based on public comments and an environmental review, the BLM will offer 20 parcels totaling 20,555 acres. Roughly 9,335 acres were deferred to protect local watersheds and address resource concerns in areas with steep slopes. About 40 of those acres were deferred due to their proximity to a school. The BLM also added site-specific mitigation for the 20 parcels listed on the sale notice to protect freshwater resources and address air quality impacts. Currently, the Muddy Creek area of the North Fork Valley has approximately 47 active wells.The environmental review for all the parcels that are being offered was opened to the public and factored in to what should be offered or held for further review. A few of the key changes as a result of public input and the environmental review include:

• All six of the Park County parcels were deferred because of overlapping resource issues. Three other parcels were also deferred in the Royal Gorge Field Office for further review.
• About 64 acres were deferred from a parcel in the Tres Rios Field Office for further review. The BLM will address the other issues raised during the public comment period through site-specific analysis.
• Thirty nine parcels were deferred in the Little Snake Field Office due to their proximity to Greater Sage-Grouse habitat.

Every lease contains standard terms and stipulations designed to protect air, water, wildlife, historic and cultural resources as well as reclamation requirements. The BLM leases for oil and gas development based on land use plans, which incorporate public, state and federal agency considerations.To view maps of the parcels, visit: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease/2013/february_2013_lease_sale.htmlThe deadline for submitting protests is 4 p.m., Dec. 17, 2012. All protests must be received by the BLM Colorado State Office, located at 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO 80215. For more information on how to file a protest, visit our leasing FAQs page: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/Frequently_Asked_Questions_Leasing.htmlAdditional lease sale information can be obtained online at: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/leasing.html. Information is also available at the BLM Colorado State Office Public Room, 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO.The State of Colorado will receive 49 percent of the proceeds of the sale, with the remainder going to the U.S. government. The State of Colorado received more than $154 million in Fiscal Year 2011 from royalties, rentals and bonus bid payments for all federal minerals, including oil and gas. BLM Colorado currently has approximately 4.4 million acres of public mineral estate leased for oil and natural gas development, generating more than $2.9 billion in direct economic benefits in 2010, and approximately $4.9 billion in total economic impacts.