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April 7, 2009 Contact:    Roger Alexander    307-775-6047 BLM Oil and Gas Lease Sale Nets Over $1.5 Million, State of Wyoming to Get Nearly Half The Bureau of Land Management generated $1,557,198.50 for leasing rights and rental fees on parcels offered at the BLM's bimonthly federal oil and gas lease auction held in Cheyenne on April 7, 2009. Almost half of the bid and rental receipts go to the State of Wyoming. "Energy development is an important component of the Wyoming economy and provides critical energy resources for the entire nation," said BLM Wyoming State Director Don Simpson. Bids totaling $1,409,138.00 ranged from the federally mandated minimum of $2 per acre to a high bid of $540.00 per acre. Successful bidders also pay a $140 per parcel administrative one-time fee and yearly rental of $1.50 per acre for the first five years of the lease and $2 per acre in years six through 10. A total of 90,284.000 acres in 90 parcels were sold. Parcels that didn't receive bids at the auction are available noncompetitively for the yearly rental fee ($1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre for the second five years) and a $360 administrative fee at the BLM office in Cheyenne. The next oil and gas lease sale will be held on June 2, 2009, in Cheyenne. In fiscal year 2008, oil and gas operations on BLM-administered public lands and federal mineral estate in Wyoming produced 28,556,565 barrels of oil and 1.6 trillion cubic feet of gas, which generated $1,566,255,630 in federal oil and gas royalties. Nearly half the royalty payments were disbursed to the State of Wyoming. April 2009  Wyoming Competitive Sale Results Summary  Parcels Offered  100 Parcels Sold  90 % Parcels Sold 90.00% Acres Offered 95,482.490 Acres Sold 90,284.00  % Acres Sold 94.56% Average Bid/Acre     For Acres Offered     For Acres Sold $14.76 $15.61 Average Bid/Parcel     For Parcels Offered     For Parcels Sold $14,091.38 $15,657.09 Highest Bid/Acre $540.00 Parcel with High Bid/Acre  38 Highest Bid/Parcel $165,240.00 Parcel with High Total Bid   38 Total Bonus Bid $1,409,138.00 Total Rental Due $135,460.50 Total Administrative Fees Due $12,600.00 Total Receipts Due $1,557,198,50 The BLM manages more land – 258 million acres – than any other Federal agency.  This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska.  The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation.  The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.  The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands. -BLM-