Nearly a third of a million acres of land, located in 18 Utah counties, will be offered for oil and gas leases in an oral auction scheduled for Dec. 28 in Salt Lake City.
The 275 Bureau of Land Management tracts will be offered for lease in the unusual auction at 10 a.m. in the Red Lion Inn, Ballroom C, 255 S. West Temple. The BLM will register prospective bidders for one hour prior to the auction.Parcels available are in Tooele, Iron, Millard, Beaver, Kane, Garfield, Piute, Utah, Daggett, Washington, Juab, Wayne, Carbon, Emery, Duchesne, San Juan, Grand and Uintah counties.
The leases are either expired, terminated or relinquished leases, as well as tracts suggested for lease by members of the public, said BLM spokeswoman Elaine Larsen.
Only oral bids offered by registered bidders will be considered. The minimum acceptable bid is $2 per acre. Those not leased will be available on a non-competitive lease basis for two years starting Dec. 29.
Copies of parcel location lists may be purchased for $10 from the BLM Utah State Office, Public Room, 324 S. State, Suite 301, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-2303, or by telephoning 524-5330.