RENO — More than 64,000 acres of public land in the Elko District are up for bid in a competitive oil and gas lease sale 9 a.m. today at the Bureau of Land Management state office, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno.
The BLM will include 44 parcels for lease. Registration and assignment of bidding numbers begin at 8 a.m.
The BLM offers quarterly oil and gas sales. The last Elko District sale on March 12, 2013, generated more than $1.2 million with the sale of 31 parcels covering more than 38,000 acres.
A second oil and gas sale will take place after, for 29 parcels in the Winnemucca and Carson City districts.
Parcels are nominated by industry representatives in advance of a sale. The BLM reviews each parcel for any resource conflicts, which can result in stipulations placed on the parcel, deferral or partial deferral.
A complete summary of the parcels to be offered, GIS shapefiles and other documents related to the oil and gas sales are available online at http://on.doi.gov/1oXmCgT.
Oil and gas leases are for 10-year periods with annual rentals of $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 per acre after that until production begins.
Once a lease is producing, a royalty of 12.5 percent is charged. Half of the bid and rental receipts go to the state.
Geothermal Lease
The BLM will have a competitive geothermal lease sale Wednesday at the BLM state office.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the sale begins at 9. The sale includes two parcels in Nevada totaling more than 3,400 acres. One parcel is located on the Winnemucca District, the second is located in the Carson City District.
There will also be five parcels located in Oregon.
Geothermal leases are for a 10-year period. Annual rental for a competitive lease is $2 per acre for the first year, and $3 per acre until year 10.
Annual rental for a noncompetitive lease is $1 per acre for up to 10 years.
Additional environmental analysis would need to be conducted to receive permits to drill or build a facility to develop the energy from the geothermal source.
A complete summary of the parcels to be offered, GIS shapefiles and other documents related to the geothermal lease sale are available at http://on.doi.gov/1qCHSsY.