Beaufort Sea Areawide 2026W, North Slope Areawide 2026W, and North Slope Foothills Areawide 2026 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sales
Department of Natural Resources · Notice #225179
What is this notice about?
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The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering state land on the North Slope for oil and gas leasing in three sealed-bid sales: Beaufort Sea Areawide 2026W, North Slope Areawide 2026W, and North Slope Foothills Areawide 2026. Companies can submit bids online through Efficient Markets from October 20 to noon on November 12, 2026, and results will be posted on November 18, 2026. This is a lease sale notice, not a request for public comment.
Why was this notice issued?
Alaska law AS 38.05.945(a)(4) requires public notice when the State offers land for competitive oil and gas leasing. The sales are held under AS 38.05.035(e) and AS 38.05.180, which allow leasing of land covered by a best interest finding issued within the previous 10 years.
What action is being taken?
The DNR Division of Oil and Gas (DO&G) is offering state-owned land for oil and gas leases by sealed-bid auction, using a cash bonus bid with a fixed royalty. Beaufort Sea Areawide: about 865,000 acres in 298 tracts, mostly offshore from the Canadian border to Point Barrow; minimum bid $35.00 per acre, 16.66667% royalty, 10-year term, $10.00 per acre yearly rent. All areas are in the North Slope Borough. Deferred tracts are listed in Attachment A and will not be offered on Efficient Markets.
Who is involved: Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas; Efficient Markets (online bidding contractor); Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (joint owner of some North Slope Areawide tracts); oil and gas bidders; North Slope Borough (where the sale areas are located).
How can the public respond?
Respond byThu, Nov 12, 2026
4 days from today.
“Deadline to submit bids with Efficient Markets – Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (Anchorage, Alaska Local Time)”
Ways to respond
Online form
Bidder registration and bid submission on the Efficient Markets Government Resources site at https://www.efficientmarkets.com/
What to include
This response is for bidders only. Bids are sealed and may be submitted starting Tuesday, October 20, 2026. All times are Anchorage, Alaska Local Time. Full sale documents, including the Sale Announcement and Instructions to Bidders, Areawide Sale Information, Attachment A (estimated acreages and deferred tracts), lease forms, mitigation measures and tract map, are at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/LeaseSale. Deferred tracts will not be listed with Efficient Markets; check the website for updated Attachment A documents. Best interest finding documents are also at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/LeaseSale (questions: dog.bif@alaska.gov). Leasing email announcements: https://list.state.ak.us/mailman/listinfo/DOG.Leasing. For an alternative communication format under the Americans with Disabilities Act, call (907) 269-8800 or email dog.leasing@alaska.gov.
Contact
Leasing Section
Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas dog.leasing@alaska.gov
(907) 269-8800
Will there be public meetings?
The notice does not announce any public meeting or hearing.
Key dates
Oct 20, 2026: First day to submit bids with Efficient Markets
Nov 12, 2026: Deadline to submit bids with Efficient Markets, 12:00 p.m. Anchorage time
Nov 18, 2026: Bidding results available to the public online at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov at 9:00 a.m. Anchorage time
Original notice text
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Oil and Gas (DO&G), is giving notice pursuant to AS 38.05.945(a)(4) that it is offering State lands for competitive oil and gas leasing in the Beaufort Sea Areawide 2026W (BSA 2026W), the North Slope Areawide 2026W (NSA 2026W), and the North Slope Foothills Areawide 2026 (FHA 2026) Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sales. This notice is available on the State of Alaska Online Public Notice System at https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/.
Bidding Method
The bid method for the BSA 2026W, NSA 2026W, and FHA 2026 sales will be cash bonus with fixed royalty. The sales will be conducted by sealed bid auction. DO&G has contracted with Efficient Markets to provide an online bidding system for this sale. Bidder registration and bid submission will be on the Efficient Markets Government Resources site at https://www.efficientmarkets.com/.
Sale Dates
All times listed are Anchorage, Alaska Local Time.
• First day to submit bids with Efficient Markets – Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
• Deadline to submit bids with Efficient Markets – Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
• Bidding results available to the public online at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov – Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Areawide Lease Sale Locations
The Beaufort Sea Areawide includes approximately 865,000 acres of state-owned land in 298 tracts ranging in size from 160 to 5,760 acres. The sale area encompasses primarily offshore acreage that extends from the Canadian border in the east to Point Barrow in the west. The northern boundary is along the federal Alaska Outer Continental Shelf. The southern boundary is along the North Slope Areawide and includes onshore acreage between the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A). The Areawide is in the North Slope Borough.
The North Slope Areawide includes approximately 2.7 million acres of state-owned land in 1,741 tracts, ranging in size from 160 to 5,760 acres. The sale area encompasses primarily onshore acreage between the Staines River and ANWR on the east and the Colville River and NPR-A on the west. The northern boundary is along the Beaufort Sea Areawide. The southern boundary is along the Umiat Meridian baseline. Some tracts are jointly owned by the State of Alaska and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC). The Areawide is in the North Slope Borough.
The North Slope Foothills Areawide includes approximately 4.3 million acres of state-owned land in 817 tracts, ranging in size from 240 to 5,760 acres. The sale area encompasses onshore acreage between ANWR on the east and NPR-A on the west. The northern boundary is along the Umiat Meridian baseline, and the southern boundary is the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The areawide is in the North Slope Borough.
Sale Documents
Complete details regarding these lease sales are on the DO&G website at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/LeaseSale. Sale documents include this Notice of Sale, Sale Announcement and Instructions to Bidders, Areawide Sale Information, Attachment A with Estimated Acreages and deferred tracts, lease forms, mitigation measures, and tract map.
Please call (907) 269-8800 or email dog.leasing@alaska.gov. if you are unable to access sale information. Subscribe to leasing email announcements at https://list.state.ak.us/mailman/listinfo/DOG.Leasing.
Sale Terms and Conditions
Beaufort Sea Areawide 2026W Terms and Conditions
Lease Sale Tracts
Bid Variable
Per-Acre Minimum Bid
Royalty Rate
Primary Lease Term
Per-Acre Annual Rental Rate
Lease Form
All
Tracts
Cash Bonus
$35.00
16.66667% Fixed
10 Years
$10.00
DOG 201912W
North Slope Areawide 2026W Terms and Conditions
Lease Sale Tracts
Bid Variable
Per-Acre Minimum Bid
Royalty Rate
Primary Lease Term
Per-Acre Annual Rental Rate
Lease Form
State/ASRC
Cash Bonus
$35.00
16.66667% Fixed
10 Years
$10.00
DOG 202007W AS
North Sub-Region
Cash Bonus
$35.00
16.66667% Fixed
10Years
$10.00
DOG 201912W
South Sub-Region
Cash Bonus
$35.00
12.50000% Fixed
10Years
$10.00
DOG 201912W
North Slope Foothills Areawide 2026 Terms and Conditions
Lease Sale Tracts
Bid Variable
Per-Acre Minimum Bid
Royalty Rate
Primary Lease Term
Per-Acre Annual Rental Rate
Lease Form
All
Tracts
Cash Bonus
$5.00
12.50000% Fixed
10 Years
Year 1: $1.00
Year 2: $1.50
Year 3: $2.00
Year 4: $2.50
Years 5-10: $3.00
DOG 202104
Deferred lease sale tracts are listed on Attachment A of the Areawide Sale Information and will not be listed with Efficient Markets. Check https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/LeaseSale for updated Attachment A documents.
Best Interest Findings to Offer Oil and Gas Leases in Areawide Sales
These lease sales are being held according to AS 38.05.035(e) and AS 38.05.180. Under these statutes, land that is subject to a best interest finding issued within the previous 10 years may be offered for oil and gas leasing. The finding sets forth the facts, policies, and applicable laws and regulations upon which the Director based the determination that oil and gas lease sales in an Areawide sale will best serve the interests of the State. Every year, the Director makes a request for substantial new information that may justify a supplement to the finding and issues a response to information received. Best interest finding documents and supplements for these sales can be found on the DO&G website at https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/LeaseSale. If you are unable to access this information, call the Leasing Section at (907) 269-8800 or email dog.bif@alaska.gov.
Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance
The State of Alaska, DNR, DO&G complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990. This publication will be made available in an alternative communication format upon request. Please call (907) 269-8800 or email dog.leasing@alaska.gov to make any necessary arrangements.
This summary was written by an AI model (Claude) from the official notice text.
This is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm deadlines and instructions in the official notice. Legal disclaimer.