105 leases cover 118,219 acres.
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The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming announced Nov. 13 that it
plans to offer 105 oil and gas lease parcels totaling about 118,219 acres at its March 2020
quarterly lease sale.
In coordination with the State of Wyoming, the BLM is deferring four whole parcels and
a portion of one other because they intersect state-designated big game migration corridors.
This is consistent with Secretarial Order 3362 on improving habitat quality in western big
game winter range. The BLM reviewed all proposed parcels to ensure leasing them conforms
to the 2015 Approved Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendments for the Rocky
Mountain Region, which are currently in effect due to the preliminary injunction of the BLM’s
2019 sage-grouse plan amendments by the U.S. District Court of Idaho.
Nov. 13 started a 30-day public comment period on the proposed lease sale, which will close
Dec. 13.
To comment on the sale or learn more about the parcels analyzed, visit the BLM’s ePlanning
site at https://go.usa.gov/xpYGJ. This site contains the environmental assessment, lists and
maps of the parcels, and the stipulations attached to each parcel, as well as an online comment
portal. The BLM will review and consider every comment received before preparing a final
decision, but specific comments addressing distinct parcels or concerns are most useful.
The BLM is required by statute to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales when federal land
is available for lease. Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources,
and it does not authorize drilling. Before any development can begin, the BLM must
approve a separate permit based on further analysis of site-specific plans and conditions.
Wyoming is one of the country’s top energy producers on public lands. In 2018, BLM Wyoming
raised nearly $117 million through oil and gas lease sales. Nearly half the revenue from
each lease sale goes directly to the State of Wyoming and, when leasing results in production,
royalties from production are also shared with the state.