Alaska nets $28M at annual oil, gas lease sale

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska netted $28.1 million from its oil and gas lease sales in the North Slope and Beaufort Sea.

The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports the state received bids on 133 tracts in the North Slope covering about 350 square miles (906 square kilometers).

State Division of Oil and Gas Director Chantal Walsh says the winning bids Thursday for the North Slope accounted for about $27.3 million, the third highest amount since 1998.

Winning bidders paid about $848,000 for the eight near shore tracts covering about 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) in the Beaufort Sea.

Walsh...