The U.S. Bureau of Land Management next month plans to auction off oil and gas drilling leases on more than 12,000 acres in the McCullough Peaks.

Four conservation groups filed protests with the BLM last week.

BLM State Director Bob Bennett said if any of the protests have merit, he may reject any or all lease offers and refund all payments. But he said such drilling, when acceptable, was good for Wyoming residents.

“Mineral resources on Wyoming public lands play a key role in meeting energy demands in the Rocky Mountain region,” he wrote in his decision Monday.

“With one-third of the nation’s oil and gas production coming from the public lands, oil and gas leasing helps increase domestic production of clean-burning natural gas and other mineral resources.”

Rights to five parcels, each covering more than 2,200 acres, are to be offered Tuesday.

Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist with the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, said his group opposed drilling because it could spoil the fragile desert landscape.

“These desert landscapes have a fragile beauty that is easily destroyed by industrial development,” he said. “And due to the arid nature of the country, it could take generations to recover.”

Also filing protests with the BLM were the Wyoming Wilderness Association, the Center for Native Ecosystems and the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Rights to produce oil, gas and minerals from 176,896 acres of federal land are expected to be available at the BLM auction in Cheyenne. The BLM holds six such auctions in Wyoming each year.

Leases are typically for 10 years and generally are renewable provided that oil or gas is produced in paying quantities.

Posted: 03|31|06 at 10:01 am. Filed under: US News.