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The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will hold the first of six
September lease sales in Nevada on Tuesday with an auction of 11
land parcels covering more than 15,000 acres. It will sell other
leases later in the month in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah
and several other states.
The sales come on the heels of a large federal auction in New
Mexico https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-new-mexico/u-s-oil-and-gas-auction-draws-tepid-bidding-from-weakened-drillers-idUSKBN25N332
last month that attracted far less interest from drillers than
other recent sales in the state. The auction marked the
resumption of the administration's oil and gas leasing program
following a five-month pause due to the economic impacts of the
coronavirus pandemic.
But with the drilling industry still struggling with sharply
lower prices and demand, critics say they are expecting similar
poor returns from sales this month.
Federal budget watchdog organization Taxpayers for Common Sense
and conservation groups Conservatives for Responsible
Stewardship and the National Wildlife Federation will hold a
press conference on Tuesday to urge Interior Secretary David
Bernhardt to cancel the sales.
Leasing public lands to crippled oil and gas drillers makes it
"impossible for taxpayers to get competitive prices for the land
held in public trust," the groups said in a statement. They also
said drilling on public lands harms wildlife and the outdoor
recreation economy.
Oil and gas drilling on public lands is a key part of the Trump
administration's efforts to boost domestic energy production.
Later this year, it hopes to hold the first lease sale in
California in seven years as well as the first in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Tom Brown)
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