BLM Plans Oil and Gas Competitive Lease Auction

 

     The Bureau of Land Management will auction oil and gas leases on federal land in Central
California  Wednesday ,Dec.12, 2012.

 

     The lease auction will be held at the California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento.

 

    The room will open at 8 a.m. to allow bidders to register and obtain a bid number.  The competitive oral auction will begin at 9 a.m. 

 

     The competitive lease auction involves 15 parcels for a total of 17,872.8 acres of public lands in Fresno, San Benito and Monterey counties.

 

     The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received 11 protests filed on parcels for this lease auction. BLM intends to offer the 15 parcels at the lease sale pending the official review of the protests received.

 

       Depending on the review, leases may be issued without change in terms and conditions, issued with changes, or not issued and all monies paid at the sale refunded.

 

     A detailed notice of the lease auction with parcel descriptions, acreage, lease terms and conditions, oral bidding procedures and requirements, and other sale information is available on the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/energy/og/instructions/leasesale/2012.html

 

     If you are not able to access this site, copies of the lease sale notice will be available at the BLM California State Office and the BLM Bakersfield Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, for $5.

 

     BLM is required by law to periodically offer federal land for lease for oil and gas exploration and development. The oil and gas industry is encouraged to submit an "expression of interest" for federal land parcels in California that have potential for development.

     An "expression of interest" is a letter or a form listing the legal description of lands an individual or company is interested in seeing offered for lease. For those lands that are split-estate (private surface/federal minerals), please provide the surface ownership (name and address) in your expression of interest.

    Expressions of interest to be included in the December 2013 lease auction should be sent to the BLM, Attention:  Laurie Moore, 2800 Cottage Way Suite W-1623, Sacramento, Calif. 95825 no later than Jan. 25, 2013.  The next scheduled oil and gas auction is May 8, 2013, in Bakersfield.

    For questions regarding the lease auction or to obtain a form to submit an expression of interest, contact Laurie Moore at (916) 978-4377.