Feds pay Alaska $19 million for oil, gas development

Map of northern Alaska showing location of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR-en:1002 area, and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA).
Map of northern Alaska showing location of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR-en:1002 area, and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA). (Map courtesy USGS)

The Department of Interior announced Tuesday it paid Alaska $19 million over the previous year for oil and gas development on federal land in the state.

That’s a few million more than the 2012 disbursement but a fraction of the billions Alaska reaps each year from oil development on state–owned lands like Prudhoe Bay.

The government pays states a portion of the rents, royalties and bonuses it takes in from energy and mineral production.

The state with the biggest federal disbursement in the  past year was Wyoming, at nearly $1 billion. The smallest payment – a mere $38 — went to North Carolina.

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