BLM Montana-Dakotas Q1 January 2026 Oil & Gas Lease Sale
Current Parcel Count: 20
Current Acreage: 4,196.01
***BLM Montana-Dakotas received two (2) timely filed protests for the January 13th (Q1 2026), oil and gas lease sale. Wild Montana protesting 13 parcels, Western Environmental Law Center protesting all (20) parcels. The resolution of the protests is pending.***
June 25, 2025 - the public scoping period for the preliminary parcel list and applied stipulations for the proposed Quarter 1 lease sale will be open from June 25 - July 28, 2025.
To the extent you submit exhibits or attachments to any submitted public comment, you must provide a summary of the attached documents, and explain why they are important for us to consider. If the submittal fails to include the requested summary, BLM may not consider any information in the exhibits or attachments during its decision-making process.
It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Listed below is the tentative timeline for the Montana-Dakotas Oil and Gas Lease Sale.
- All documents associated with this Lease Sale are posted under the documents link on the left hand side of your screen.
- The USFS stipulation maps, GIS data, and PDF Maps can be found on the 'Maps' link on the left hand side of the screen.
- To submit comments electronically through this site click on the documents link and then click on the "Comment on Document" button on the right hand side of the screen.
- *Shapefiles are available however, parcel acreage is most accurately reflected on Appendix A and Sale Notice.
For media questions, please contact Brittany Jones at [email protected]
***Appendix C Maps were updated November 3, 2025.
***Amendment No. 1 was issued November 14, 2025. Amendment Notice No. 1 updates the SMA for split-estate parcels ND-2026-01-0832 and ND-2026-01-0864. Updates to pertinent associated documents such as Appendix A will be located in the Documents under "Amendments Nos. 1-3".
***Amendment No. 2, issued on January 9, 2026, updates the acreage and land descriptions for USFWS parcel ND-2026-01-6875 and USFS parcel ND-2026-01-6904. Within the “Amendments Nos. 1-3” section of the Documents, Appendix A has been revised to reflect updated LLDs, acreage, and stipulations, and Appendices B and C have also been updated.
***Amendment No. 3, issued on January 12, 2026, located in the Documents under "Amendments Nos. 1-3", updates the competitive lease application fee to $3,175.
| Document(s) | Date(s) Available | Notes/Comments |
30 Day Public Scoping Nominated Parcels List Nominated Parcel Maps GIS Data (Preliminary List) Dear Reader Letter (Public Scoping) | Publish Date: June 25, 2025 Scoping Period: 30 Days Submit Comments to: *Electronically: See Documents, Appendix A *Mail: Bureau of Land Management
Montana/Dakotas State Office
Branch of Fluid Minerals
Attn: Hattie Payne
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101 Contact: Hattie Payne (701) 260-4997 [email protected], [email protected] | Thirty-day public scoping period of nominated lease
parcels including the field office's preliminary
recommendations and stipulations. Stipulation summaries, GIS shapefiles, and maps are also provided.
This allows the public an opportunity to provide
comments which are then analyzed and incorporated into
the final environmental analysis as appropriate. |
30 Day Public Review
Dear Reader Letter (Public Comment)
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Unsigned FONSI
| Publish Date: August 29, 2025
Comment Period: 30 days
Submit Comments to:
*Electronically: See Documents, Environmental Assessment (EA)
*Mail: Bureau of Land Management
Montana/Dakotas State Office
Branch of Fluid Minerals
Attn: Hattie Payne
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Contact: Hattie Payne (701) 260-4997 [email protected], [email protected] | Thirty-day public review and comment period of the
lease sale Environmental Assessment (EA) and the
unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
Comments received from the public will be analyzed and
incorporated into the environmental analysis as appropriate.
|
Lease Sale Notice and Protest Period
Competitive Sale Notice and List
Map of Sale Parcels
GIS Data
Final Environmental Assessment (EA)
Finding of No Significant Impact (Unsigned)
| Publish Date: November 4, 2025 Protest Period: 30 days Submit Protests to:
*Electronically: See Documents, Final EA
*Mail: Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office
Attn: State Director
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Or Fax: 406-896-5292
| The Sale Notice includes a list of all sale parcels,
legal descriptions, applicable stipulations, and
questions and answers about the lease sale process.
This section will also include amendments to the original
sale notice if changes are made before the sale.
|
Decision Record Environmental Assessment Signed FONSI | Publish Date: January 13, 2026
| Signed Decision Record (DR) and FONSI for Leasing EA and Lease Sale |
Protests
| Publish Date: January 13, 2026
| Resolution
|
Sale Date Sale Results | Sale Date: January 13, 2026 Publish Date: January 13 or 14, 2026 | Summary of the lease sale results. This includes the total number and acreage of parcels sold and the net revenue (bonus bids, fees, and first-year rentals) generated from the sale. |
