State Mineral and Energy Board

The State Mineral and Energy Board (Board) administers the state's proprietary interest in minerals. It is composed of the Governor, the Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, ex officio, and nine members appointed by the Governor. Six members constitute a quorum.  

The Governor may appoint Board Members engaged in the industry and related business activity and each appointment shall be submitted to the Senate for confirmation. Each appointed member shall serve a term concurrent with that of the Governor making the appointment.

The State Mineral and Energy Board is the exclusive body with the authority to lease for development and production of minerals, oil, and gas, any lands belonging to the State of Louisiana, or the title to which is in the public, including road beds, water bottoms, vacant state lands, and land adjudicated to the state at tax sale.

The Board may lease state agency lands as well, upon agency request, and may grant exclusive and non-exclusive permits to conduct geophysical and geological surveys of any kind on state-owned lands and water bottoms.

The Board is also authorized to explore and develop state lands and water bottoms subject to its leasing authority on its own behalf or through others contracted for that purpose.  It may conduct geological and geophysical surveys of any kind; equip, drill, and operate wells or mines for the production of minerals; construct, operate, and maintain necessary or convenient facilities for saving, transporting, and marketing mineral production; enter into operating agreements; and do all other things which may appear to be necessary or desirable for the state's benefit.

The Board has the responsibility for administering all existing mineral leases on state lands to ensure maximum development and production and to ensure full compliance with the terms and conditions of the respective leases. It may act to recover nonproducing leased acreage, annul or amend leases, join in pooling and unitization agreements, elect to receive in lieu unit production or proceeds or in-kind royalty, or enter into agreements to offset, compensate, or recover from royalty underpayment or overpayment.

The Board has final approval of transfers and assignments relating to state mineral leases or state-owned mineral rights, of state agency mineral leases issued by the agency directly, and of mineral leases entered into by state banks in liquidation. It also executes division orders directly or through staff and ensures proper statutory-mandated parish and dedicated funds transfers.

The Board manages significant portions of its responsibilities through five reports:  Nomination and Tract, Lease Review, Audit, Legal and Title Controversy and Docket Review.  Report members review with the staff all matters requiring Board approval and make recommendations to the composite Board.

Staff support to the Board is provided by the Office of State Resources, which conducts the day-to-day operations of the Board's business and provides it with the information and technical advice necessary for the accomplishment of business at its meetings.

The State Mineral and Energy Board meets at the call of the Governor, generally holding its meetings and State Lease Sales on the second Wednesday of each month in the LaBelle Room located on the 1st Floor of the LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Nomination and Tract Report

Staff from the Land Administration Division reports to the Board each month on matters pertaining to nominations for state mineral leasing.

Each month, the Land Administration Division reports the number of nominations received for the current mineral lease sale and recommends whether the Board should authorize the advertisement of nominations received for future mineral lease sales. If authorized by the Board, staff will advertise those nominations for future mineral lease sales.

Lease Review Report

Each month, this report is created by the staff of the Resource Analytics Division (RAD) within the Office of State Resources (OSTR) to the State Mineral and Energy Board (“the Board”). The report has three basic components: 1) Inventory of State mineral acres under state contract, 2) Board Review, 3) Force Majeure.

1. Inventory Of State Mineral Acres under State Contract
   

   OSTR mineral management typically has two basic types of contracts: 1) oil & gas leases, 2) operating agreements. Oil & gas leases account for the majority of assets to manage.  Operating agreements are currently divided into four subsets: 1) oil & gas, 2) gas storage, 3) carbon sequestration, 4) wind energy.  

   RAD (“the Staff”) employs a technical staff comprised of petroleum scientists and mineral land specialists.  For oil & gas, the Staff  monitors oil and gas activity on state leases and operating agreements to ensure that state acreage is prudently developed, has production in paying quantities, and are in full compliance with the terms and conditions of the state contract. Each oil & gas lease and/or operating agreement is reviewed at least once a year by analyzing production, operations, operator plans of development, local geology and surrounding oil and gas activity.  For gas storage or carbon sequestration, the staff will monitor yearly injection volumes to assure the state receives its contractual payment.  Currently, there is no active carbon sequestration occurring nor wind energy electrical generation over state lands.

2. Board Review
   The Staff may include a lease or a list of leases that require specific attention by the Board for a variety of reasons but primarily to address development of a lease.  The Staff will share information about the development history of the lease, past correspondence with the lessee, current activity on the lease, and offer a recommendation to the Board to act upon.  A recommendation may be whether an operators of a lease should further develop a lease, appear before the Board, receive additional time to develop the lease, or release acreage back to the State instead of development.
   
   
3. Force Majeure
   A lessee/operator of a state lease or operating agreement may request Board recognition of a Force Majeure.   The request should described an event, beyond the control of lessee/operator, that prevented continued production or lease operations such as drilling, and downhole well operations.

Audit Report

Audit Report members work closely with staff from the Mineral Income Division, especially the Audit Director, to ensure timely and accurate payment of revenue from oil and gas leasing activities and production.

Staff members closely monitor mineral income to the State utilizing computerized records, prepare and transmit invoices for late royalty payment interest and penalties, and perform audits and transmit billing letters as necessary.  Division staff inform and make recommendations to the State Mineral and Energy Board as to lessee requests for payment plans, penalty waivers and recoupments, as well as placing lessees on demand for royalty nonpayment or underpayment.  The Audit Report members and the Board review the information and decide on a course of action.

Legal and Title Controversy Report

Staff from the Land Administration Division works closely with the Petroleum Lands Director to investigate and review legal and title matters involving state mineral acreage, mineral lease maintenance, and operations.

Each month, the Petroleum Lands Director, with support from staff, reports to the Board on legal and title matters requiring Board action. These matters may include lease amendments, late assignment penalties, late release penalties, operating agreement formation and amendments, consent letters, escrowing of funds pending unit formation, certain geophysical permit matters, title disputes, royalty disputes, pending litigation, and compromise or settlement offers and agreements.

Docket Review Report

Staff from the Docket Section works closely with the Petroleum Lands Director to review matters submitted for consideration by the State Mineral and Energy Board (Board).

Each month, the Land Administration Division receives numerous items for the Board’s consideration, including unitization agreements and amendments, lease amendments, compromise and settlement agreements, consent letters, operating agreements and amendments, designations of participating areas, corrections to state leases, deferred gas production agreements, confirmations and re-establishments of unitization agreements, unit production sharing agreements, pooling and unitization agreements, requests for approval of state agency mineral leases, and transfers of interests (assignments).

Staff members provide input and recommendations as needed. The Land Administration Division then finalizes the monthly docket for presentation by the Petroleum Lands Director to the Board for consideration and action.

2026

• January 14, 2026
• July 8, 2026

2025

• April 9, 2025
• July 9, 2025
• October 8, 2025

2024

• January 10, 2024
• June 12, 2024
• October 9, 2024

2023

• May 10, 2023

2022

• April 13, 2022
• July 13, 2022

2021

• March 10, 2021
• July 14, 2021

2020

• February 12, 2020
• September 9, 2020