State Mineral Board welcomes new member at March meeting

Gov. M.J. “Mike” Foster recently appointed Ernest S. Easterly, III, a Southern University law professor, to the State Mineral Board. Easterly joined the ten-member board during its March mineral lease sale meeting.

Easterly holds a doctorate degree in geography and a law degree from Louisiana State University. He is a resident of Watson, La. and is a member of several professional organizations.

The State Mineral Board conducted its monthly lease sale on March 12, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. in the Conservation & Mineral Resources Hearing Room located in the LaSalle Office Building in Baton Rouge.

These are the preliminary results of the Lease Sale and 2002-2003 Fiscal Year totals:

CLASSIFICATION	NOMINATED TRACTS	NOMINATED ACREAGE	LEASES AWARDED	NO. OF ACRES	AMOUNT OF CASH PAYMENTS
Lease Sale March 12, 2003
State Offshore Leases	5	9,816.620	4	3,010.250	$1,316,597.69
State Onshore Leases	43	41,176.280	27	2,951.000	944,276.64
State Dedicated Leases	3	1,920.800	0	0.000	0.00
State Agency Leases	1	14.140	1	14.140	3,549.14
TOTAL SALE	52	52,927.840	32	5,975.390	$2,264,423.47

2002-2003 Fiscal Year
State Offshore Leases	156	216,157.235	39	14,081.300	$4,931,009.90
State Onshore Leases	635	885,300.451	197	52,024.460	11,595,927.14
State Dedicated Leases	14	23,350.130	2	549.080	199,996.00
State Agency Leases	19	1,747.538	17	698.164	203,792.99
TOTAL YEAR TO DATE	824	1,126,555.354	255	67,353.004	$16,930,726.03

Editors: For more information, call DNR Assistant Secretary Office of Mineral Resources Gus Rodemacher at 225-342-4607 or Betty Landry at 225-342-3359.