MMS Press Release

U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Communications

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced that it has distributed more than $333 million to 35 states during the first six months of 1997. The six-month figures for 1997 exceed last year’s by $82 million.

"This is good news for the States and this amount suggests that we will exceed the 1996 total which was $528 million," stated MMS Director Cynthia Quarterman.

The money represents the states’ cumulative share of revenues collected for mineral production on federal lands located within their borders and from federal offshore oil and gas tracts adjacent to their shores. Disbursements are made to states on a monthly basis, as bonuses, rents, royalties and other revenues are collected.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona.
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Total

$7,643,833.92
$3,126,191.49
$14,234.92
$545,501.28
$12,184,416.54
$23,844,068.51
$10,815.41
$497,961.02
$34,986.13
$769,056.68
$52,896.53
$8,522,679.07
$371,263.44
$366.45
$955,903.92
$673,826.98
$9,924,560.21
$8,254.45
$2,781,232.14
$108,304,080.39
$114.51
$2,202,629.17
$85,765.43
$1,241,086.78
$21,421.94
$11,193.48
$305,637.83
$17.19
$6,630,726.66
$18,766,844.93
$53,835.00
$440,120.75
$179,413.58
$359.54
$122,844,522.39
$333,049,818.66

Under the Minerals Leasing Act, states whose boundaries encompass Federal mineral leases are entitled to receive a share of the revenues generated from those leases. The amount a state receives can vary by land category. Generally, states receive half of all bonuses, rents and royalties collected from public lands located within their respective borders, except for Alaska which receives 90% of all such revenue as prescribed by the Alaska Statehood Act. The remaining funds are deposited into the Federal Treasury.

Certain coastal states with federal offshore leases adjacent to their seaward boundaries receive 27 percent of those mineral royalties as well. Remaining offshore revenues are deposited in special accounts of the U.S. Treasury, including the General Fund, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund.

MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation’s oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. MMS also collects, accounts for, and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal and Indian lands.

MMS Internet website address: http://www.mms.gov
24 hour Fax-on-Demand Service:(202) 219-1703