Last week the SLO Staff presented an excellent workshop. The topics of discussion included units industry training; State Land Office 101; miscellaneous instruments; nomination of parcels; rentals, cancellations and expirations; oil stripper well rate royalty reduction program; new leases and assignments and Oil and Gas remitter identification. There are power points for each subject matter on the State Land office website at :

If you have any questions, please contact Greg Bloom, Deputy Commissioner for Oil and Gas at gbloom@slo.state.nm.us.
Karin Foster

A few takeaways:

1. The State Land Office is looking to do a land swap with the BLM in the Prairie Chicken Area. The exact amount of acreage is unclear, however, it looks like 15,000 acres will be swapped. A remaining 50,000 acres will also be ‘enrolled’ by the SLO which means that when that tract goes to bid the lessee will be encouraged to sign a Conservation Agreement with Assurances with the BLM/USFWS for the Lizard and Chicken. Apparently, the sign up of these leases will occur even after the potential listing date of the Chicken since these lands are ‘enrolled’ by the SLO.

2. The SLO intends to roll out a mobile site within the next few weeks.

3. Tract nominations – the company nominating leases MUST appear at the lease sale when that tract is offered; to bid a party must have an OGRID number and the Deadline for nomination is two fridays before the sale before the lease sale of the tract (or at least 6 weeks)

4. OGRID numbers: Please make sure you submit change of address forms and include current phone numbers of currently employed contacts. This has been a problem for the agency. Note that if your OGRID address does not match your royalty check payments, the check will NOT be deposited and it will be returned.

5. Please make sure your company files the necessary paperwork disclosing composition of Hydraulic Fracturing fluids used with the OCD within 45 days of completion of a well.