BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) – Oil and gas companies bid more than $6.6 million Tuesday for federal land in North Dakota, as the Bureau of Land Management moved forward with a lease sale despite the ongoing government shutdown.

The BLM’s Montana/Dakotas State Office offered four parcels totaling 2,068 acres. All received bids, with the highest per-acre bid reaching $3,611. Sixteen bidders registered for the sale.

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A report from Taxpayers for Common Sense estimates $322.5 million in lost royalty revenue for the third quarter of 2025, including $3 million in combined losses for Montana and North Dakota.