BLM Announces March 9 NPR-A Lease Sale Offering Over 600 Tracts

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a major oil and gas lease sale on March 9, 2026, offering over 600 tracts across approximately 5.5 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, the agency announced Feb. 5. The sale is being presented as the first in the NPR-A under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the first lease sale in the reserve since 2019, signaling a renewed phase of federal leasing on the western North Slope.

Acting BLM Director Bill Groffy framed the sale as tied to national energy goals. "The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska plays a vital role in advancing America’s energy independence, and Congress has repeatedly made clear their intent for timely leasing and responsible development in the region," Bill Groffy said. "This lease sale – the first in the reserve since 2019 – marks another exciting milestone as we work to unlock the full potential of this area."

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act mandates the BLM to conduct at least five lease sales in the reserve by 2035, and requires that each sale offer no fewer than 4 million acres. BLM materials state "A sale notice will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register." Sealed bids must be received at the BLM‑Alaska State Office, ATTN: Wayne Svejnoha; 222 West 7th Avenue, #13; Anchorage, AK 99513‑7504, by 4 p.m. AKST on March 5, 2026. "The opening and reading of the bids will be streamed live at 10 a.m. AKST on March 9, 2026, via BLM Live Streaming." The detailed statement of sale is available at BLM Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sales.

For North Slope Borough residents, the sale raises immediate questions about jobs, royalties, infrastructure and subsistence. The NPR-A is a 23‑million‑acre land unit on Alaska’s western North Slope that was established as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in 1923 and transferred to the Department of the Interior’s BLM in 1976. About 1.6 million acres are currently leased in the reserve. Since 1999, BLM lease sales in the area have generated more than $294 million, and half of all proceeds, along with future rental payments, are directed to the State of Alaska’s Impact Grant Program to support local communities.

Federal leasing is only the first step in potential development. The Department of the Interior notes leases are typically awarded for a 10‑year term and "as long thereafter as there is production of oil and gas in paying quantities," with a federal royalty of 16.67 percent on production value. DOI materials also emphasize NEPA and other legal requirements governing development. The department’s recent quarter of FY2025 lease sales nationally included 34 parcels totaling 25,038 acres and $39,007,609 in receipts, underscoring active nationwide leasing alongside Alaska activity.

The NPR-A sale comes amid other Alaska leasing moves tied to the same budget bill, including a Cook Inlet offshore lease sale scheduled for March 4 and initial steps toward a lease program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Agency materials differ on which executive order the sale aligns with, citing Executive Order 14153 in some documents and Executive Order 14154 in others; interested parties should consult the Federal Register sale notice and the detailed statement of sale for definitive legal text and tract specifics.

What happens next matters locally: sealed-bid deadlines and the live bid opening set the immediate timeline, while the One Big Beautiful Bill Act envisions multiple large sales through 2035 that could reshape industry activity and revenue flows for the North Slope Borough.