Documents
On June 26, 2023, a total of three (3) USFS parcels (3,691.12 acres) were removed from the lease sale. These three parcels (708, 709, 711) are located in Greater Sage-grouse habitat and within the USFS Fishlake National Forest. Therefore, a total of 15 parcels encompassing 28,116.87 acres are being considered for the lease sale and will be identified in the Notice of Competitive Lease Sale (NCLS).
On July 5, 2023, an errata was published and parcel 713 was removed.
Only 14 parcels encompassing 26,853.94 acres will move forward in the Notice of Competitive Lease Sale (NCLS).
How to Submit a Protest:
The BLM is offering a 30-day protest period. The protest period begins June 27, 2023, and ends on July 27, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. MT. The BLM Utah State Office will move forward as analyzed in the environmental assessment (DOI-BLM-UT-0000-2023-0001-EA), by offering 15 parcels totaling 28,116.87 acres in Sanpete County on public lands managed by the Richfield Field Office and in Wayne County on lands managed by the Fishlake National Forest. The posting of the Notice of Competitive Lease Sale (NCLS) initiates a 30-day protest period that ends on July 27, 2023. Protests on the offered parcels may only be submitted electronically through email at [email protected]; the subject line must read: “Quarter 3, 2023 Protest.” The BLM must receive all protests by 4:30 p.m., on July 27, and as stated, can only accept emailed protests.
PROTEST PERIOD
To the extent you submit exhibits or attachments to any submitted protest, 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.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment - including your personal identifying information - may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Timeline:
The 30-day Scoping Period-November 22 to December 21, 2022 has closed.
The 30-day Public Comment Period- March 20, 2023 to April 19, 2023 has closed.
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and Inflation Reduction Action of 2022
The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended [30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.], and the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987, requires the BLM to conduct quarterly, competitive lease sales to offer available oil and gas lease parcels. Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to nominate parcels for leasing by the BLM are submitted by the public. From these EOIs, the BLM prepares the parcels and determines whether or not the existing analyses in the Land Use Plans, as amended, provide basis for leasing oil and gas resources within these parcels, and conducts additional NEPA analysis before determining if parcels are suitable to be offered.
Future BLM leases will include updated fiscal provisions authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act:
- Minimum bids for all offered parcels will be $10 per acre, an increase from the $2-per-acre minimum bid set in 1987.
- Royalty rates will be 16.67%, up from the previous minimum of 12.5%.
- Rental rates will be $3 per acre for the first two years, $5 per acre for years three through year eight, and $15 per acre in years nine and 10. Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, rates were $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre for each year thereafter, rates originally set in 1987.
Future information about the Inflation Reduction Act can be found here at DOI Moves Forward with Leasing Provisions in Inflation Reduction Act.