The State Mineral Board conducted a Lease Sale February 12, 1997 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  CASH
PAYMENTS
Lease Sale February 12, 1997
State Offshore Leases         5      6,397.860     5    4,181.970            $1,189,540.93
State Onshore Leases         44     20,477.110    28    5,832.730            1,859,208.15
State Dedicated Leases        0          0.000     0        0.000            0.00
State Agency Leases           8        633.511     8      461.590            155,263.27

TOTAL SALE                   57     27,508.481    41   10,476.290            $3,204,012.35

1996-97 Fiscal Year
State Offshore Leases       135    180,523.519    56   44,386.239            $9,738,700.21
State Onshore Leases        470    402,883.620   233   71,435.645            19,611,808.32
State Dedicated Leases        0          0.000     0        0.000            0.00
State Agency Leases          72     26,955.517    45   10,268.900            2,101,869.28

TOTAL YEAR TO DATE          677    610,362.656   334  126,090.784            $31,452,377.81

In other business, the Board renamed members of its Advisory Committee. In 1994, the Mineral Board established this special committee to study and to advise the Board on all mineral leasing of state-owned lands and water bottoms. Those named to serve on the advisory panel are Mineral Board members William Allerton, III (chairman), Monica T. Surprenant and Qwen J. Mire, Jr., Mark Davis, Executive Director, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Carlton Dufrechou, Executive Director, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Steve Mathies, Deputy Secretary, D N R, and William E. Marsalis, Geologist Administrator, DNR's Office of Mineral Resources.

Editors: For more information, please contact Gus Rodemacher at (504) 342-4607.