(a) Notify BLM of areas in which you are interested. We may also designate certain lands for competitive leasing.

(b) Before BLM publishes a notice of lease sale, pay a processing fee on a case-by-case basis as described in §3000.11 of this chapter as modified by §§3508.14 and 3508.21. If someone else is the successful bidder, BLM will refund you the amount you paid under this paragraph. If there is no successful bidder, you remain responsible for all processing fees.

(c) After determining that the lands are available for leasing, we will publish a notice of lease sale containing all significant information (see §3508.14 of this part).

(d) We will award a competitive lease through sale to the qualified bidder who offers the highest acceptable bonus bid. In the event of a tie, BLM will determine a fair method for choosing the successful bid.

[64 FR 53536, Oct. 1, 1999, as amended at 70 FR 58877, Oct. 7, 2005]