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.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
