BLM Plans North Dakota Oil And Gas Lease Sale Next October

The Bureau of Land Management’s Montana/Dakotas State Office has announced it will hold an oil and gas lease sale on Oct. 21, 2025, offering four parcels of federal land in North Dakota. The tracts together cover just over 2,068 acres, according to the agency.

The parcels were first identified earlier this year, with scoping completed in April and a public comment period that closed in June. As of this week, the BLM has opened a new 30-day protest period that will allow the public to weigh in further before the sale. That window will close on Sept. 18.

Leasing federal land for oil and gas is only the first step toward potential development. Any company that acquires leases must still submit detailed drilling applications, which trigger additional review, environmental analysis and coordination with state agencies and local stakeholders. The BLM emphasized that each lease includes stipulations designed to safeguard natural resources, a standard part of the federal leasing process.

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The sale will be conducted online through EnergyNet, the platform used for all BLM oil and gas lease auctions nationwide. Members of the public can view maps of the parcels, review the agency’s environmental analysis and find instructions for submitting protests on the BLM’s ePlanning website.