BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - An auction for the rights to drill for oil on North Dakota state lands has raised $16.5 million.
The state Department of Trust Lands auctioned exploration rights to more than 18,000 acres in 13 western North Dakota counties on Tuesday.
The average payment ranged from about $7 per acre in Golden Valley County to almost $14,000 per acre in McKenzie County.
The money goes into trust funds that benefit education.
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