FERC has authorized Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Sabine Pass LNG LP to introduce feed gas and refrigerants for the third train of the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana [CP11-72; CP13-2]. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October authorized the start-up of the second train at the terminal (see Daily GPI, Oct. 13).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding an oil and gas lease sale within the 22.8-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) on Dec. 14, in Anchorage. Details have been published in the Federal Register. The lease sale, the 13th in the NPR-A since 1999, is to include 145 tracts and offer 1.4 million acres. There are currently 134 authorized leases in the NPR-A that cover more than 895,000 acres. Bids received for the 12 previous sales generated more than $262 million, half of which was paid to the state of Alaska. The NPR-A, which comprises the largest single block of federally managed land in the United States, is nearly the size of Indiana. Based on an October 2010 analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey, this area contains an estimated 896 million bbl of economically recoverable oil and nearly 53 Tcf of natural gas. From March 31 through May 2 BLM sought public input on tract nominations from lands in the NPR-A planning areas not currently leased or deferred from leasing (see Daily GPI, April 1). The BLM then selected the tracts based on evaluation of comments received, natural resource information, resource potential, industry interest, and subsistence values. Sealed bids are due by Dec. 12 at the BLM-Alaska State Office.