DOINews: BLM Schedules 38 Oil and Natural Gas Lease Sales on Public Lands for 2010

The Department of the Interior has scheduled 38 oil and natural gas lease sales for U.S. public lands in 2010, including a sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the first in nearly two years.

The schedule will be busier than the 35 onshore lease sales in 2009 which generated more than $126 million in revenue for American taxpayers. “Our nation needs a balanced and appropriate use of our conventional and renewable energy resources,” Secretary Salazar said. “That means oil, gas and coal will continue to play an important role in our energy mix, as we develop and expand the use of wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable sources.”

The Bureau of Land Management's 37 quarterly oil and natural gas lease sales scheduled for 2010 will offer thousands of parcels in a dozen states, most in the West. The BLM's Alaska State Office oil and gas lease sale will offer available tracts in the Northeast and a portion of the Northwest areas of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The sale is scheduled for August 11 in Anchorage, Alaska. The last sale for the Reserve was held September 24, 2008.

Oil and gas leasing in the NPR-A is authorized under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended. Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statements have been prepared for both the Northeast and Northwest planning areas.