State Mineral and Energy Board

ANGELLE CHAIRS NEW MINERAL BOARD

First action aimed at incentives for industry

The newly appointed State Mineral Board held its first meeting and mineral lease sale at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) headquarters in Baton Rouge earlier this month. The group, recently appointed by Governor Kathleen Blanco, met on May 12th and chose DNR Secretary Scott Angelle to serve as Chairman.

According to Mineral Board Secretary Gus Rodemacher, the board conducts business monthly through five committees known as the Tract Evaluation, Fact Finding, Royalty Accounting, Legal and Title Controversy and Docket Review committees. Committee meetings are normally followed by a full board meeting, the opening of bids for leasing state-owned lands for oil and gas exploration, and for awarding of leases and other duties. The board is responsible for all existing mineral leases and for assuring compliance with the terms of all authorized lease agreements.

In one of his first actions taken as chairman, Secretary Angelle offered a resolution that directed the Mineral Resources office to partner with the LSU Center for Energy Studies to research and catalogue incentive plans that exist anywhere outside the state that encourage and promote domestic oil and gas exploration and development. “Armed with this kind of information, we can learn how to maximize efforts to attract business and operators to the state of Louisiana and to continue to build a strong oil and gas development program and revenue base in the years ahead,” Angelle explained. The board in turn, unanimously adopted the resolution.

Angelle said Governor Blanco feels encouraged by the increase in drilling activity in the state over the past four months and is also dedicated to keeping Louisiana as a viable domestic energy provider for the rest of the nation.

Members of the board attending the May meeting were Angelle, Marjorie McKeithen of Baton Rouge, Paul Voorhies, II of New Iberia, Kenny Bernhard of Lafayette, Paul West of New Orleans, Carol R. LeBlanc of Raceland, Theo B. Bean Jr., Lafayette, Emile Cordaro of Prairieville, and William M. Comegys, III of Shreveport. Board member Peter Dangerfield of New Orleans could not attend.

Editors: For more information, contact the DNR Public Information Office at 225-342-8955 or call 225-342-4607.