Colorado Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sales

The Oil & Gas Lease Sales map below shows parcels proposed to be offered for lease by the Bureau of Land Management. This interactive map shows current and upcoming lease sales and their conflicts with wildlife and natural areas. More information on upcoming leases is shown below the map.

Advice on how to use the map: Zoom in to see conservation conflicts. Click on parcels or conservation conflict areas for more information. Scroll through pop-ups for multiple overlapping areas by clicking on the right triangle/arrow.

September 23, 2019 Lease Sale

Environmental Assessment Comment Period (posted 5/14/2019)

  • The comment period for the September 27 lease sale ends 4:00 PM MT on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Information about the sale and comment period is available in the Press Release. Comments must be submitted through the area specific ePlanning page for the Royal Gorge Field Office (Eastern Colorado) and for the Northwest District (Kremmling, Little Snake, and White River Field Offices). More information about the sale is on the overall September 2019 Lease Sale ePlanning website.
  • According to the press release and documents, BLM Colorado is proposing to offer 83 parcels/78,691 acres in Routt, Moffat, Garfield, Rio Blanco, Jackson, Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Weld counties. The parcels are in the Little Snake, Kremmling, White River, and Royal Gorge field offices.
  • According to the press release “The September lease sale includes 75 parcels totaling 69,058 acres of previously deferred Greater-Sage Grouse habitat, now available for leasing with the release of the recent Greater-Sage Grouse plan amendment.”
  • Significant conservation conflict overlaps for rare and sensitive species include:
    • Cutthroat trout
    • Bald Eagle
    • Black-tailed and white-tailed prairie dog
    • Black-footed ferret
    • Greater sage-grouse (including priority habitat)
    • Lesser prairie chicken
    • Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (outside critical habitat)
    • Migration corridors, winter concentration areas, and severe winter range for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn.
    • Plant listed as Endangered: North Park phacelia
    • Other rare plants: matroot penstemon, pale blue-eyed grass, Rocky Mountain bluebells
    • Other rare birds: Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, lesser prairie chicken, long-billed curlew, white pelican, willet
  • Significant conservation conflict overlaps for important natural places include:
  • Lease sale parcels EA Comment Period: Google Earth (kmz) | Zipped shapefile.
  • Lease sale EA comment period ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.

Scoping Comment Period (posted 4/2/2019): Lease sale parcels Scoping Comment Period: Google Earth (kmz) | Zipped shapefile.
Lease sale Scoping Comment period ABI Screen. Habitat impacts of the proposed parcels, a spreadsheet showing total acres for selected conflicts.

June 27, 2019 Lease Sale

Sale Notice and Protest Period (posted 5/14/2019)

  • Protests on this sale must be received by 4:00 PM MT on Thursday, May 23, 2019. Important information on how to protest is in the Sale Notice (starting on page 9 of this pdf document). More information about the Sale is available in the Press Release, on the June 2019 Oil and Gas Lease Sale ePlanning website with additional information  on the BLM Colorado Oil and Gas Leasing webpage.
  • According to the press release and documents , BLM is planning to offer 18 parcels/8,223 acres. Parcels are in the Grand Junction, Royal Gorge, and White River field offices, in Kiowa, Lincoln, Mesa, Rio Blanco, and Weld counties. This lease sale includes 6 parcels/3,419 acres that were previously deferred from the March 2019 lease sale.
  • Significant conservation concerns include:
    • Bald eagle roost sites including winter night roost sites.
    • Overlap with overall range for Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (not critical habitat).
    • Overlaps with greater sage-grouse production areas identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife including areas within 4 miles of lek sites (not BLM priority or general habitat).
    • Areas Colorado Parks and Wildlife have determined are highly likely to contain black-tailed prairie dog colonies.
    • Important winter habitat for mule deer and pronghorn. Overlap with mule deer migration pattern.
    • Overlaps with the Central Shortgrass and Dudley Bluffs Potential Conservation Areas (PCA) with high biodiversity significance. PCAs are identified by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program.
    • Overlap with Galloway Gulch area determined by BLM and Conservation Organizations to have Wilderness Characteristics.
    • Overlap with a State Wildlife Area.
  • Lease Sale Notice parcels: Google Earth (kmz) | Zipped shapefile.
  • Lease Sale Notice ABI Screen, a spreadsheet showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness and other resource values.  

Environmental Assessment Comment Period (posted 3/12/2019): Lease sale parcels EA Comment Period: Google Earth (kmz) | Zipped shapefile.
Lease sale EA Comment period ABI Screen. 

Scoping Comment Period (posted 1/29/2019): Lease sale parcels: Google Earth (kmz) | Zipped shapefile; ABI Screen.

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