BLM Wyoming leases 181 oil and gas parcels in December sale, nets nearly $7 million

The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming raised approximately $6.99 million in its Dec. 15-17, 2020, quarterly oil and gas lease sale, facilitating economic opportunities and infrastructure investment in local communities, according to a press release. 

The BLM received bids on 181 of the 262 parcels offered, totaling about 165,754 acres. 

Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources, and it does not authorize drilling or construction. At this stage, the BLM applies standard terms and conditions and appropriate stipulations to each lease to protect other resources in the area. Before an operator can begin developing a lease, the BLM must approve a separate drilling permit based on further analysis of detailed site-specific plans and conditions. The BLM deferred nominated parcels in priority sage-grouse habitat from the December lease sale. 

To learn more about the sale and associated review process, visit the BLM ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1502549/570. According to the release, the BLM will post a detailed results summary on the web within the coming week. 

Wyoming is one of the nation’s top energy producers on public lands. In 2018, BLM Wyoming lease sales garnered nearly $117 million. About half of the revenue from Wyoming lease sales is disbursed to the State of Wyoming to fund state-determined priority projects. If a lease results in production, the associated royalties are also shared with the state.