Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Lease WYW173493, Wyoming

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

As provided for under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement of competitive oil and gas lease WYW173493 from Thunder Basin Resources, LLC, for land in Niobrara County, Wyoming. The lessee filed the petition on time, along with all rentals due since the lease terminated under the law. No leases affecting this land were issued before the petition was filed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chris Hite, Branch Chief for Fluid Minerals Adjudication, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, P.O. Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82003; phone 307-775-6176; email chite@blm.gov.

Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Mr. Hite during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. A reply will be sent during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The lessee agreed to the amended lease terms for rentals and royalties at rates of $10 per acre, or fraction thereof, per year and 16 2/3 percent, respectively, and additional lease stipulations. The lessee has paid the required $500 administrative fee and the $159 cost of publishing this notice. The lessee met the requirements for reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). Reinstatement of this lease conforms to the terms and conditions of all applicable land use plans, including the 2015 Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments for the Rocky Mountain Region, and other National Environmental Policy Act documents. The BLM proposes to reinstate the lease effective December 1, 2017, under the amended terms and conditions of the lease and the increased rental and royalty rates cited above.

Authority: 30 U.S.C. 188(e)(4) and 43 CFR 3108.2-3(b)(2)(v)