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Bonus bids at the Bureau of Land Management's February 15 oil and gas lease sale in Billings totaled $2,080,635.The highest bid at the sale was $352,000 submitted by Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation of Denver for leasing rights on a 160-acre Forest Service parcel in Billings County, N.D. That was also the highest per-acre bid at $2,200 per acre.All of the 26 parcels offered for lease were on Forest Service land in North Dakota. All parcels received bids.Additional information regarding competitive sale lists, detailed results of sales or the leasing process is available by writing the Bureau of Land Management, 5001 Southgate Dr., Billings, Mont. 59101, by calling (406) 896-5004, or at https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/leasing/regional-lease-sales/montana-dakotasOil and gas leasing is driven by consumer demand, and competitive oil and gas lease sales are conducted several times per year at BLM's Montana State Office. Receipts from federal oil and gas leases are shared with the state or county where the lands are located. All leases are issued for a 10-year term. Potential environmental effects that could result from exploration and development are analyzed before any leases are offered for sale. All leases come with conditions on oil and gas activities to protect the environment that can include limits on when drilling can occur or restrictions on surface occupancy. Once an operator proposes exploration or development on a BLM-issued lease, further environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act is conducted to determine the site-specific need for various types of impact-limiting or mitigation measures. In addition, many operators routinely use Best Management Practices such as remote monitoring of producing wells to minimize surface impacts.