The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced an oil and gas lease sale of 57 land parcels in Utah. The sale will take place March 31 and encompasses 68,632 acres in the state.
The BLM completed scoping on these parcels in October and held a public comment period that closed in January on the parcels and the related environmental analysis. A 30-day public protest period to receive additional public input opened Jan. 31 and will close March 2. The parcels BLM analyzed, as well as maps and instructions on how to submit a protest, are available on BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov.
Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for a permit to drill, detailing development plans. The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.
The BLM announcement of the Utah sale said all parcels that are included in a federal oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources. Information on current and upcoming BLM leases is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale system at https://nflss.blm.gov/s/sales. BLM lease sales are held online through EnergyNet.