If you operate on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or anticipate doing so in the future, please note that some of the BLM fees are increasing. Beginning on October 1, 2016, BLM plans to implement a new fee schedule to recover costs resulting from processing actions such as lease applications, name changes, corporate mergers, lease consolidations, and reinstatements related to oil, gas, coal, and solid minerals activities on BLM-managed lands. BLM based the fee increases on inflation following its 2005 cost recovery adjustment procedures. The updated fee schedule can be found on the BLM website. The schedule is also posted in the September 22, 2016, Federal Register.
The majority of fees charged by BLM, which are subjected to the annual adjustment review, remain unchanged. The more significant of the changes include the fee for adjudicating 10 or fewer mineral patent claims, which will increase $20, from $1,535 to $1,555, and the fee for adjudicating more than 10 claims, which will increase $35, from $3,075 to $3,110.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed Federal agencies to recover costs for their services. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and the 2005 Cost Recovery Rule authorize BLM to charge fees for cost recovery. The 2005 Cost Recovery Rule directs BLM to annually review its fees and determine whether an increase is warranted based on inflation.