The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has called for nominations and comments on available tracts to be considered for its fall 2016 oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). A notice in the Federal Register announced a 30-day period in which interested parties may nominate or comment on available tracts. The notice is the first step in the process leading up to the next oil and gas lease sale, which is tentatively scheduled for fall of 2016. BLM Alaska must receive all nominations and comments on the tracts for consideration by May 2. “This Call for Nominations and Comments gives industry, conservation groups, and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide input into which tracts should be included in or excluded from the sale,” said BLM Alaska State Director Bud Cribley. To select which tracts will be available for the oil and gas lease sale, BLM will consider the results from the call for nominations and comments, existing natural resource and environmental data, the location of existing leases, multiple-use conflicts, resource potential, industry interest, and other available information. There are 949 tracts on about 10.7 million acres that will be available for nomination and comment under the lease sale. Currently, there are 134 authorized oil and gas leases totaling 867,320 acres in the NPR-A. A map showing available areas is available on the BLM website,www.blm.gov/ak.
Tracts
Articles from Tracts
Low Commodity Prices Weigh Heavily on Western GOM Lease Sale
Only five producers participated in the federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil and gas auction on Wednesday, the lowest number of bidders since area leasing began in 1983, a top official said.
Bidding Robust in Latest Alaska Lease Sales
The total of high bids in the latest northern Alaska oil and gas lease sales — $59.7 million — is the third-highest amount received in state history, according to officials. Competition for tracts was high, they said following the sales on Wednesday.
Marathon Letting Go of Non-Core Eagle Ford Acreage
Marathon Oil Corp. is selling all of its interest in 98,409 gross acres (96,738 net) in nine tracts in Karnes, Northern Bee and Wilson counties, TX, in the Eagle Ford Shale. However, the play remains a core focus of the company.
National Fuel Continues Focus on Marcellus, Utica and Geneseo Shales
While the Marcellus Shale continues to drive growth for National Fuel Gas (NFG) Co., the Williamsville, NY-based company is now offering details on its short-term plans for the Upper Devonian/Geneseo and the Utica shales, the company told analysts recently.
Industry Briefs
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service announced Tuesday it had received 422 bids from 51 companies on 346 tracts offered in the Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 196. In the two new ultra-deepwater categories of royalty relief established, 26 bids were received in water depths from 1,600 to 2,000 meters and 60 bids were received in water depths greater than 2,000 meters. These new categories were established as a provision of the 2005 Energy Policy Act that was signed into law on August 8, 2005. Lease Sale 196 will take place today, August 17, 2005, at 9 a.m. in New Orleans. The sale will be webcast through the Offshore Oil Scouts Association at www.oosa.com.
