BLM Montana-Dakotas Q3 August 2026 Oil & Gas Lease Sale
Current Parcel Count: 64
Current Acreage: 29,057.57
*The 30-Day Public Comment Period review will begin March 26, 2026.
Please note: The BLM is launching an updated version of our NEPA Register in early 2026. From January 16 - 19, interested parties will not be able to submit EA comments for the DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2026-0001-EA through the ePlanning project page. The new ePlanning portal will launch on January 20 and interested parties will once again be able to submit comments through the NEPA Register at that time.
THE BLM WILL NOT ACCEPT COMMENTS BY EMAIL
Comments may be submitted using the following methods:
Electronic: Go to https://eplanning.blm.gov. You’ll land on the BLM National NEPA Register homepage.
At the top of the page, you’ll see a Search Projects (Start Here) bar.
Enter keywords related to your project:
NEPA (e.g., DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2026-0001-EA)
Project Name (e.g., “Montana-Dakotas Q3 August 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Sale”)
Select State(s) (e.g., “State Office -MT”)
Select Office(s) (e.g., State Office)
Select Type(s) (e.g., EA, EIS)
Select Year(s) (e.g., 2025, 2026)
Click “Search” Results will display as a list of projects. Click the project name to open its Project Page.
Navigate to “Documents” on the upper left-hand side of the screen to display documents available for review. If there are categories, please select the drop-down arrow to view documents.
Navigate to “Participate Now” on the upper left-hand side of the screen to submit comments.
All documents associated with this Lease Sale are posted under the documents link on the upper left-hand side of your screen.
The USFS stipulation maps, GIS data, and PDF Maps can be found under “Maps” on the upper left-hand side of the screen.
*Shapefiles are available however, parcel acreage is most accurately reflected on Appendix A and Sale Notice.
For general questions about the lease sale and navigating ePlanning contact Hattie Payne, [email protected], (701) 260-4997
For media questions, please contact Brittany Jones at [email protected]
The following dates and times for public involvement are subject to change. Please check this ePlanning location for newest updates associated with this project.
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: January 13, 2026 Scoping Period: 30 Days Submit Comments to: *Electronically: See https://eplanning.blm.gov, “Participate Now”, See Appendix A *Mail: Bureau of Land Management
Montana/Dakotas State Office
Branch of Fluid Minerals
Attn: Hattie Payne
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101 | 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: March 26, 2026
Comment Period: 30 days
Submit Comments to:
*Electronically: See https://eplanning.blm.gov, “Participate Now”, See 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 | 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: June 2, 2026 Protest Period: 30 days Submit Protests to:
*Electronically: See https://eplanning.blm.gov, “Participate Now”
*Mail: Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office
Attn: State Director
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101 | The Sale Notice includes a list of all sale parcels, legal descriptions, applicable stipulations, and questions and answers about the lease sale process. The Amendments 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: August 11, 2026 | Signed Decision Record (DR) and FONSI for Leasing EA and Lease Sale |
Protests | Publish Date: August 11, 2026 | Resolution |
Sale Date Sale Results | Sale Date: August 11, 2026 Publish Date: August 11 or 12, 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. |
