Colorado Wildlife Federation On October 20, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that the Department will invite submission of applications for a second round of RD&D oil shale leases. A notice will be published soon in the Federal Register. Companies will have 60 days to submit their applications for up to 160 acres. During round one, 5 RD&D leases were granted in Colorado’s Piceance Basin. Lessees would need to demonstrate feasibility for commercial development to qualify for an additional 480 contiguous acres.