STATE MINERAL BOARD ANNOUNCES JANUARY LEASE DATA

The State Mineral Board conducted a Lease Sale January 14, 1998 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 1997-98 Fiscal Year totals.

	               NOMINATED NOMINATED	LEASES	  NO. OF          AMOUNT OF
CLASSIFICATION		TRACTS	 ACREAGE	AWARDED	  ACRES	        CASH PAYMENTS

Lease Sale January 14, 1998
State Offshore Leases	  1	    615.450	  0	     0.000	          0.00
State Onshore Leases	 45	 56,949.940	 19	10,395.637	  2,319,854.51
State Dedicated Leases 	  0	      0.000	  0	     0.000 	          0.00
State Agency Leases	  4	    116.690	  4	   116.690	     54,589.00

TOTAL SALE		 50	 57,682.080	 23	10,512.327	 $2,374,443.51

1997-98 Fiscal Year
State Offshore Leases	 76	111,911.100	 25	11,499.708	 $3,898,960.57
State Onshore Leases	304	261,521.140	117	34,502.320	  8,835,066.71
State Dedicated Leases	  1	  2,254.000	  1	   870.000	    270,570.00
State Agency Leases	 26	  3,681.351	 15	 1,049.139	    313,328.32

TOTAL YEAR TO DATE	407	379,367.591	158	47,921.167	$13,317,925.60

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