OFFICE OF MINERAL RESOURCES (OMR)
SPECIAL NOTICES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
STATE MINERAL & ENERGY BOARD MEETING VIA ZOOM APP
August 12, 2020
The LaSalle State Office Building, which includes the Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mineral Resources (OMR), continues to be closed to the public due to the COVID-19 virus. The State Mineral and Energy Board (Board) will hold its August 12, 2020 Lease Sale and Board Meeting (Meeting) via Zoom.
(Certificate of Inability to Meet in Person)
Sealed bids on tracts advertised for the August 12, 2020 lease sale will be received in the Office of Mineral Resources, LaSalle Office Building, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Post Office Box 2827, Baton Rouge, LA 70821) on or before 12:00 noon on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 and will be opened publicly at 9:15 am, Wednesday, August 12, 2020. You must make special arrangements to submit sealed bids in person (see contact person below).
The Meeting’s Notice and Agenda can be accessed here; scroll down for all reports. The Board will utilize the online platform Zoom for Board Members and to live-stream the Meeting for public viewing.
Information to join the live-stream will be available here beginning at 9:15 am on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
Please access OMR’s Special Notices and Announcements web page at http://www.dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/168 for additional information on accessing this meeting.
If you have any questions regarding the virtual Board Meeting or in reference to leases or tracts, please contact Byron Miller at Byron.Miller@la.gov.
OMR deeply regrets any inconvenience this may cause; however, the health and safety of Louisiana’s citizens are our highest priority.
SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS REGARDING COVID-19
April 29, 2020
At the Special State Mineral and Energy Board Meeting held on April 29, 2020, the Board granted the following resolutions regarding COVID19 relief to Lessees:
Moratorium on Enforcement (20-04-001)
Covid19 Penalty Waiver (20-04-002)
The Office of Mineral Resources is pleased to announce that the State Mineral and Energy Board approved a new State Lease Form at the October 9, 2019 Board Meeting. The new Lease Form will apply to all leases awarded beginning with the December 2019 Lease Sale. Additionally, the Royalty Reduction Program that was adopted by the Board at its July 10, 2019 meeting, will be effective beginning with the leases granted at the December 2019 Lease Sale.
History of the State Mineral Lease Form and a Discussion of the Proposed New Draft by Jamie S. Manuel
Presented at the 66th Mineral Law Institute Conference held on March 15, 2019
OMR ANNOUNCES ACREAGE RETURNED TO COMMERCE
May 18, 2020
The Office of Mineral Resources announced 502.146 acres have been released and returned back to commerce. This acreage is located in Concordia, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, St. Mary, Vermilion and West Feliciana Parishes, and is now available for leasing by the public.
Please use the following link for more information:
LATEST RELEASE LIST
FORCE MAJEURE - May 1, 2020
Download: Force Majeure Memorandum - May 1, 2020
How to Report Force Majeure Online
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
November 13, 2019
The State Mineral and Energy Board Meeting scheduled to be held on November 13, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. has been cancelled due to the inability to establish a quorum. Any matters on the agenda will be addressed at the December 11, 2019 meeting including the awarding of bids.
LEASING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN LOUISIANA
September 7, 2018
The Office of Mineral Resources encourages prospective oil and gas companies and industry to review the information provided below regarding leasing opportunities available in Louisiana:
RESURGENCE IN AUSTIN CHALK PLAY
RESURGENCE IN AUSTIN CHALK PLAY
March 19, 2018
The Austin Chalk play in Louisiana has experienced a resurgence in drilling activity. The Office of Mineral Resources encourages prospective oil and gas companies and industry to review the information provided below:
RESURGENCE IN AUSTIN CHALK PLAY MAIN PAGE
RESURGENCE IN AUSTIN CHALK PLAY REPORT
PROSPECTIVE LEASEHOLDER REGISTRATION REMINDER
The Office of Mineral Resources would like to remind all applicants for prospective and current leaseholders of a State Mineral Lease to renew their registration ANNUALLY during the month of November.
Please use the following link for more information:
NOTICE TO ROYALTY PAYORS
Resolution #15-08-012 was adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board at its August 12, 2015 meeting. This Resolution affirms that upon satisfaction of all requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act, OMR Staff is directed to commence assessing to Payors a fee of Sixty-Five Dollars ($65.00) per hour to recoup the costs incurred by OMR for processing requests for reimbursement of overpayments of royalties. This Resolution is effective on all requests for a recoupment received after October 1, 2015.
Resolution #15-08-013 was adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board at its August 12, 2015 meeting. This Resolution affirms that the OMR Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary be and are hereby authorized to evaluate and process penalty waiver requests for penalties assessed pursuant to La. R.S 30:136.B(2) and La. R.S 30:136.B(3) in amounts up to Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00). This Resolution is effective as of October 1, 2015.
Resolution #15-08-014 was adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board at its August 12, 2015 meeting. This Resolution affirms that the OMR Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary process penalty waiver requests for penalties assessed pursuant to La. R.S 30:136.B(2) in accordance with the set protocol. This resolution is effective as of October 1, 2015.
NOTICES REGARDING ASSIGNMENTS
Proposed new Form A, entitled "Acknowledgment and Estoppel Certification", recently noticed for public comment, is currently under revision and will be posted later for further comment.
Similarly, Form D, entitled "Designation of Joint Account Lessee", implemented by the State Mineral and Energy Board at its meeting on September 9, 2015, is under revision based upon concerns raised by industry representatives. For this reason, this form need not currently be included in any request for approval of an assignment or other transfer of interest in a State Lease.
Form B (Statement of Conveyance) and Form C (Certification of Bankruptcy Status) must still be submitted for consideration by the State Mineral and Energy Board with all requests for approval of an assignment or other transfer.
Resolution #15-07-052 was adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board at its July 8, 2015 meeting. This Resolution applies to the fee authorized by La. R.S. 30:128 in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for reviewing, researching, and processing requested transfers and assignments of Leases of minerals or mineral rights owned by the State. This fee will be applied to each Lease for which an interest is requested to be transferred or assigned. This Resolution is effective as of July 8, 2015.
This is a change from the fee assessment of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each individual document of conveyance, regardless of the number of Leases to which the document may apply, to a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each Lease within an individual document of conveyance for which a transfer or assignment is requested.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Effective August 1, 2015, Act 362 of the 2015 Regular Legislative Session changed the oil and gas regulatory fund fee from $5.00 to $15.00. The $15 fee for the Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund remains unchanged. Therefore, the $20 per acre fee will now be $30 per acre. A separate check in this amount made payable to the "Office of Mineral Resources" shall accompany the original bid (inside the sealed bid envelope).
LIGNITE LEASE FORM
The new Lignite or Coal Mining Lease Form was adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board on September 9, 2015.
The State Mineral and Energy Board is considering a proposed new Mineral Lease Form for lignite. A draft of the full text of the proposed lease form may be accessed by clicking here.
Important Information for Bidders
Criteria for Waiver of Liquidated Damages for the Late Release of a State Mineral Lease
Royalty Adjustments Resolution effective 7/14/2010