The NewsRoom
Date: March 23, 2009
Secretary Salazar: $25 Million for Gulf States and
Counties from
2007-08 Bonus Bids and Rents on OCS Energy Leases
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
More than $25 million will be paid to Gulf of Mexico coastal states
and communities this week as their share of bonuses and rents on
energy leases in federal waters off their coasts, Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar announced today.
“These
funds will provide an important boost to communities at a moment when
they need it most,” Secretary Salazar said. “I
was pleased to participate in last week's lease sale, to visit New
Orleans, and to examine how these investments will help communities
embark on a wide range of projects, including the conservation and
restoration of coastal areas."
The revenues include
$6,179,076.25 to the state of Alabama; $6,347,321.13 to Louisiana;
$5,506,235.80 to Mississippi; and $2,159,399.65 to Texas. Forty-two
eligible political subdivisions will receive $5,048,008.21. Those
include $1,544,769.06 to eligible Alabama counties; $1,586,830.28 to
Louisiana parishes; $1,376,558.95 to political subdivisions in
Mississippi; and $539,849.92 to counties in Texas. A complete list of
the disbursements and eligible political subdivisions receiving funds
is
available online.
These are the first
payments under the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA)
which provides that these states and counties receive 37.5 percent of
the oil and gas qualified leasing revenues from certain Outer
Continental Shelf areas. Most of the $25.2 million to be disbursed
was received from Lease Sales 224 and 206, held on March 19, 2008.
Lease Sale 205, held on Oct. 3, 2007, contributed a small percentage
of the revenues that were shared with this disbursement.
In total, those lease
sales generated about $67.3 million in bonus bids and first-year
rentals that qualify for revenue sharing. Under GOMESA, 12.5 percent
of qualified revenues are disbursed to the Land and Water Conservation
Fund, which provides funds and matching grants for various land and
water projects. The remaining receipts are disbursed to the U.S.
Treasury.
The 2006 legislation
mandates that eligible U.S. jurisdictions on the Gulf Coast within 200
miles of certain Outer Continental Shelf parcels leased in Sales 224,
206 and 205 receive these 37.5 percent share payments.
The law directs that the funds be used for
coastal protection, including mitigating damage to fish, wildlife or
natural resources; carrying out a federally-approved marine, coastal,
or comprehensive conservation management plan; mitigating the impact
of Outer Continental Shelf activities through the funding of onshore
infrastructure projects; as well as planning assistance and
administrative costs in complying with the law.
Contact:
Frank Quimby, (202)
208-7291
Patrick Etchart,
303-231-3162
Eileen
Angelico (504) 736-2595
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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Last Updated:
03/24/2009,
05:14 AM
Central Time
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