Chapter 158.

Direct final rule

Proposed rule

Final rule

AMENDMENT.25

As used in this Act, “mineral leasing laws” shall mean the Act of February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 437); the Act of April 17, 1926 (44 Stat. 301); the Act of February 7, 1927 (44 Stat. 1057); Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, and all Acts heretofore or hereafter enacted which are amendatory of or supplementary to any of the foregoing Acts; “Leasing Act minerals” shall mean all minerals which, upon the effective date of this Act, are provided in the mineral leasing laws to be disposed of thereunder and all geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources which, upon the effective date of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, are provided in that Act to be disposed of thereunder; “Leasing Act operations” shall mean operations conducted under a lease, permit, or license issued under the mineral leasing laws in or incidental to prospecting for, drilling for, mining, treating, storing, transporting, or removing Leasing Act minerals; “mining operations” shall mean operations under any unpatented or patented mining claim or millsite in or incidental to prospecting for, mining, treating, storing, transporting, or removing minerals other than Leasing Act minerals and any other use under any claim of right or title based upon such mining claim or millsite; “Leasing Act operator” shall mean any party who shall conduct Leasing Act operations; “mining operator” shall mean any party who shall conduct mining operations; “Atomic Energy Act” shall mean the Act of August 1, 1946 (60 Stat. 755), as amended; “Atomic Energy Commission” shall mean the United States Atomic Energy Commission established under the Atomic Energy Act or any amendments thereof; “fissionable source material” shall mean uranium, thorium, and all other materials referred to in section 5(b)(1) of the Atomic Energy Act as reserved or to be reserved to the United States; “uranium lease application” shall mean an application for a uranium lease filed with said Commission with respect to lands which would be open for entry under the mining laws except for their being lands embraced within an offer, application, permit, or lease under the mineral leasing laws or lands known to be valuable for minerals leasable under those laws; “uranium lease” shall mean a uranium mining lease issued by said Commission with respect to any such lands; and “person” shall mean any individual, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity.

Except where lands have been acquired by the United States for the development of the mineral deposits, by foreclosure or otherwise for resale, or reported as surplus pursuant to the provisions of the Surplus Property Act of October 3, 1944 (50 U.S.C., sec. 1611 and the following), all deposits of coal, phosphate, oil, oil shale, gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons), gas, sodium, potassium, and sulfur which are owned or may hereafter be acquired by the United States and which are within the lands acquired by the United States (exclusive of such deposits in such acquired lands as are (a) situated within incorporated cities, towns and villages, national parks or monuments, or (b) tidelands or submerged lands) may be leased by the Secretary under the same conditions as contained in the leasing provisions of the mineral leasing laws, subject to the provisions hereof. Coal or lignite under acquired lands set apart for military or naval purposes may be leased by the Secretary, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense, to a governmental entity (including any corporation primarily acting as an agency or instrumentality of a State) which produces electrical energy for sale to the public if such governmental entity is located in the State in which such lands are located. The provisions of the Act of April 17, 1926 (44 Stat. 301), as heretofore or hereafter amended, shall apply to deposits of sulfur covered by this Act wherever situated. No mineral deposit covered by this section shall be leased except with the consent of the head of the executive department, independent establishment, or instrumentality having jurisdiction over the lands containing such deposit, or holding a mortgage or deed of trust secured by such lands which is unsatisfied of record, and subject to such conditions as that official may prescribe to insure the adequate utilization of the lands for the primary purposes for which they have been acquired or are being administered: *Provided,* That nothing in this Act is intended, or shall be construed, to apply to or in any manner affect any mineral rights, exploration permits, leases or conveyances nor minerals that are or may be in any tidelands; or submerged lands; or in lands underlying the three mile zone or belt involved in the case of the United States of America against the State of California now pending on application for rehearing in the Supreme Court of the United States; or in lands underlying such three mile zone or belt, or the continental shelf, adjacent or littoral to any part of the land within the jurisdiction of the United States of America.

As used in this Act “United States” includes Alaska. “Acquired lands” or “lands acquired by the United States” include all lands heretofore or hereafter acquired by the United States to which the “mineral leasing laws” have not been extended, including such lands acquired under the provisions of the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961, 16 U.S.C., sec. 552). “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior. “Mineral leasing laws” shall mean the Act of October 20, 1914 (38 Stat. 741, 48 U.S.C., sec. 432); the Act of February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 437, 30 U.S.C., sec. 181); the Act of April 17, 1926 (44 Stat. 301, 30 U.S.C., sec. 271); the Act of February 7, 1927 (44 Stat. 1057, 30 U.S.C., sec. 281), and all Acts heretofore or hereafter enacted which are amendatory of or supplementary to any of the foregoing Acts. “Lease” includes “prospecting permit” unless the context otherwise requires. The term “**oil**” shall embrace all nongaseous hydrocarbon substances other than those leasable as coal, oil shale, or gilsonite (including all vien-type solid hydrocarbons).

Amendments to definitions

Application of Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to hardrock minerals