Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office sold six parcels totaling 6,960 acres for $5,222,672.50 including rentals and fees at its quarterly oil and gas lease sale. The highest per-acre price was for a 175-acre parcel in Archuleta and La Plata counties in the San Juan National Forest, sold to Allen and Kirmse, Ltd., for $1,175 per acre.Every lease will require reclamation and contain standard terms and stipulations designed to protect air, water, wildlife, and historic and cultural resources.A lease is the first step before eventually applying to develop and produce oil and gas from the public mineral estate. Additional planning, environmental analysis and public input must occur before drilling can begin.The State of Colorado receives 49 percent of the proceeds of each lease sale. In Fiscal_Year 2015, Colorado received more than $247 million from royalties, rentals and bonus bid payments for all federal minerals, including oil and gas. Statewide, more than 22,900 jobs are tied to mineral and energy development on public lands.For information about BLM Colorado's oil and gas lease sales, visit: www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/oil_and_gas_lease.html
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
