As of 12 June 2018, the 2019 Cook Inlet Areawide Oil & Gas Lease Sale will likely be conducted sometime in May 2019, a decision will be made by the state later in 2018 or early 2019 on the exact date. The Cook Inlet Areawide sale area covers approximately 4 million acres (16,187 sq km) lying between the cities of Houston and Homer in the north and south respectively, the Chugach and Kenai Mountains in the east, and the Aleutian Range in the west. The sale area is located entirely within the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Municipality of Anchorage. A total of 815 tracts that range in size from 640 (2.6 sq km) to 5,760 acres (23.3 sq km) will be available in the sale.  In January 2017 ahead of the 2018 lease sale the Alaska Division of Natural Resources (A-DNR) announced that no substantial new information was received in response to a Call for New Information (CFNI) to justify a supplement to the Cook Inlet Areawide Final Best Interest Finding thus clearing the way for a potential Cook Inlet Oil & Gas Areawide Lease Sale. Comments were received from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), U.S. Department of the Interior, National Parks Service (NPS) and two conservation groups which included the Kachemak Bay Conservation Society and the Natural Resource Defense Council. The Director responded to each concern but ruled that none of the cited issues contributed new information to the last Final Finding of the Director conducted in January 2009. The Director responded to each concern but ruled that none of the cited issues contributed new information to the last Final Finding of the Director conducted in January 2009.  The bidding method for all tracts will be a cash bonus bid with a minimum bid of USD 25.00 per acre. Royalty rate is fixed at 12.5%. A primary lease term of 10 years will be in effect for all tracts (prior years had certain specified tracts which were allowed an Exploration Incentive Credit, at 10 years, with the remaining tracts at 7 years). Annual rental is typically USD 10.00 per acre for the first 7 years and USD 250.00 per acre for the remaining years.
As of 12 June 2018, the 2019 Cook Inlet Areawide Oil & Gas Lease Sale will likely be conducted sometime in May 2019, a decision will be made by the state later in 2018 or early 2019 on the exact date. The Cook Inlet Areawide sale area covers approximately 4 million acres (16,187 sq km) lying between the cities of Houston and Homer in the north and south respectively, the Chugach and Kenai Mountains in the east, and the Aleutian Range in the west. The sale area is located entirely within the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Municipality of Anchorage. 