The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas, has developed new terms for its fall areawide sales scheduled to be held Dec. 7. 
As described in sale notices published this morning, the state has different bidding minimums and rental rates depending on where tracts are located for two of the areawide sales; all North Slope Foothills tracts have the same minimum bid and rental rates. 
For the Beaufort Sea and North Slope sales, tracts adjacent to federal lands (for the North Slope sale described as a sub-region adjacent to federal lands) are being offered with different terms. 
For Beaufort Sea tracts adjacent to federal lands and for the sub-region in the North Slope sale adjacent to federal lands, the minimum bid is $10 an acre; all other tracts will have a minimum bid of $25 an acre. Tracts adjacent to federal lands will have rental rates of $1 an acre in the first year with rents increasing to $3 an acre for the fifth year and thereafter. 
All other tracts in the Beaufort sale and the north and south sub-regions in the North Slope sale will have rentals of $10 an acre for years one through seven and $250 an acre thereafter, “except that beginning in the year after the year in which sustained production commences on this lease or the state otherwise determines in its sole discretion, upon request, that the lessee has exercised reasonable diligence in exploring and developing this lease the annual rental will be $10.00 per acre or fraction of an acre.” 
Royalty rates also vary by area for the Beaufort Sea and North Slope sales. 
For complete sales details, including regional tract maps, see the division’s website http://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/.