Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Leases WYW185919, WYW185924, WYW185925, and WYW185926, 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 leases WYW185919, WYW185924, WYW185925, and WYW185926 from Hat Creek Resources, LLC for land in Johnson County, Wyoming. The lessee filed the petition on time, along with all rentals due since the leases 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:

Termination of a lease is automatic and statutorily imposed by Congress when rental fees are not paid in a timely manner. Similarly, reinstatement terms are also set by Congress upon submission of a petition for reinstatement from a lessee. Rental was not paid in time for competitive oil and gas leases WYW185919, WYW185924, WYW185925, and WYW185926, prompting lease termination by operation of law. As provided for under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the BLM received a petition for reinstatement from the lessee of record, Hat Creek Resources, LLC for land in Johnson County, Wyoming. The lessee filed the petition on time along with all rentals due since the leases terminated under operation of law. The leases will be reinstated 30 days after publication of the proposed reinstatement notice in the Federal Register.

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 leases 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 leases with the effective date of April 1, 2018, under the amended terms and conditions of the leases 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)