Office of Mineral Resources

RECORD LEASE SALE REPORTED THIS DECEMBER BY MINERAL BOARD

State Mineral Board secretary Gus Rodemacher announced that this month's lease sale was the largest sale since the November 1984 lease sale when a record $12,461,582 was reported. He said the December 1996 lease sale totaled $9,683,021.

The State Mineral Board conducted a Lease Sale December 11, 1996 at 10:00 a.m. in the Mineral Board Hearing Room located in the State Land and Natural Resources Building in Baton Rouge. Below are the preliminary results of the Lease Sale and 1996-97 Fiscal Year totals.

                   NOMINATED    NOMINATED      LEASES     NO. OF   AMOUNT OF
CLASSIFICATION        TRACTS    ACREAGE      AWARDED      ACRES 
CASHPAYMENTS

Lease Sale December 11, 1996
State Offshore Leases         3      3,119.980     1    1,290.220   $184,501.46
State Onshore Leases        132    194,207.360    52   37,544.430  9,126,549.42
State Dedicated Leases        0          0.000     0        0.000          0.00
State Agency Leases          13      3,905.128     9    2,236.848    371,970.44

TOTAL SALE               148    201,232.468    62   41,071.498  $9,683,021.32

1996-97 Fiscal Year
State Offshore Leases       125    169,086.389    49   39,118.564  $ 8,386,304.28
State Onshore Leases        369    350,137.305   189   63,784.770   17,382,107.83
State Dedicated Leases        0          0.000     0        0.000            0.00
State Agency Leases          48     19,470.046    25    6,159.240    1,339,170.15

TOTAL YEAR TO DATE       542    538,693.740   263  109,062.574 
$27,107,582.26

EDITORS: For more information, contact Gus Rodemacher, DNR Office of Mineral Resoures (504) 342-4607.