The Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office conducted a competitive oil and gas lease sale this week with bids on 14 parcels covering 5,672 acres in North Dakota. The sale brought in just over $15 million.

The sales results, environmental assessment, maps, parcel lists, Notice of Competitive Lease Sale and proposed lease stipulations are available online at the BLM’s ePlanning website.

The BLM has also opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 35 oil and gas parcels totaling 10,463 acres that may be included in an upcoming lease sale in North Dakota. The parcels the BLM is analyzing, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment, are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website. As authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, BLM will apply a 16.67% royalty rate for any new leases from the sale. More information about the law is available in BLM's online fact sheet.  

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.  

All parcels leased as part of an oil and gas lease sale include stipulations to protect natural resources. Information on current and upcoming BLM lease sales is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.  

The comment period ends July 24.