30 U.S.C. § 183 — Cancellation of prospecting permits

Page 37 TITLE 30—MINERAL LANDS AND MINING § 184 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a colon. Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1981—Pub. L. 97–78 substituted ‘‘gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons),’’ for ‘‘native asphalt, solid and semisolid bitumen, and bituminous rock (in- cluding oil-impregnated rock or sands from which oil is recoverable only by special treatment after the deposit is mined or quarried)’’. 1960—Pub. L. 86–705 included native asphalt, solid and semisolid bitumen, and bituminous rock. § 183. Cancellation of prospecting permits The Secretary of the Interior shall reserve and may exercise the authority to cancel any prospecting permit upon failure by the per- mittee to exercise due diligence in the prosecu- tion of the prospecting work in accordance with the terms and conditions stated in the permit, and shall insert in every such permit issued under the provisions of this chapter appropriate provisions for its cancellation by him. (Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, § 26, 41 Stat. 448.) § 184. Limitations on leases held, owned or con- trolled by persons, associations or corpora- tions (a) Coal leases No person, association, or corporation, or any subsidiary, affiliate, or persons controlled by or under common control with such person, asso- ciation, or corporation shall take, hold, own or control at one time, whether acquired directly from the Secretary under this chapter or other- wise, coal leases or permits on an aggregate of more than 75,000 acres in any one State and in no case greater than an aggregate of 150,000 acres in the United States: Provided, That any person, association, or corporation currently holding, owning, or controlling more than an ag- gregate of 150,000 acres in the United States on the date of enactment of this section shall not be required on account of this section to relin- quish said leases or permits: Provided, further, That in no case shall such person, association, or corporation be permitted to take, hold, own, or control any further Federal coal leases or permits until such time as their holdings, own- ership, or control of Federal leases or permits has been reduced below an aggregate of 150,000 acres within the United States. (b) Sodium leases or permits, acreage (1) No person, association, or corporation, ex- cept as otherwise provided in this subsection, shall take, hold, own, or control at one time, whether acquired directly from the Secretary under this chapter, or otherwise, sodium leases or permits on an aggregate of more than five thousand one hundred and twenty acres in any one State. (2) The Secretary may, in his discretion, where the same is necessary in order to secure the eco- nomic mining of sodium compounds leasable under this chapter, permit a person, association, or corporation to take or hold sodium leases or permits on up to 30,720 acres in any one State. (c) Phosphate leases, acreage No person, association, or corporation shall take, hold, own, or control at one time, whether acquired directly from the Secretary under this chapter, or otherwise, phosphate leases or per- mits on an aggregate of more than twenty thou- sand four hundred and eighty acres in the United States. (d) Oil or gas leases, acreage, Alaska; options, semi-annual statements (1) No person, association, or corporation, ex- cept as otherwise provided in this chapter, shall take, hold, own or control at one time, whether acquired directly from the Secretary under this chapter, or otherwise, oil or gas leases (includ- ing options for such leases or interests therein) on land held under the provisions of this chapter exceeding in the aggregate two hundred forty- six thousand and eighty acres in any one State other than Alaska 1 Provided, however, That acre- age held in special tar sand areas, and acreage under any lease any portion of which has been committed to a federally approved unit or coop- erative plan or communitization agreement or for which royalty (including compensatory roy- alty or royalty in-kind) was paid in the pre- ceding calendar year, shall not be chargeable against such State limitations. In the case of the State of Alaska, the limit shall be three hundred thousand acres in the northern leasing district and three hundred thousand acres in the southern leasing district, and the boundary be- tween said two districts shall be the left limit of the Tanana River from the border between the United States and Canada to the confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers, and the left limit of the Yukon River from said confluence to its principal southern mouth. (2) No person, association, or corporation shall take, hold, own, or control at one time options to acquire interests in oil or gas leases under the provisions of this chapter which involve, in the aggregate, more than two hundred thousand acres of land in any one State other than Alas- ka, or, in the case of Alaska, more than two hundred thousand acres in each of its two leas- ing districts, as hereinbefore described. No op- tion to acquire any interest in such an oil or gas lease shall be enforcible if entered into for a pe- riod of more than three years (which three years shall be inclusive of any renewal period if a right to renew is reserved by any party to the option) without the prior approval of the Sec- retary. In any case in which an option to acquire the optionor’s entire interest in the whole or a part of the acreage under a lease is entered into, the acreage to which the option is applicable shall be charged both to the optionor and to the optionee, but the charge to the optionor shall cease when the option is exercised. In any case in which an option to acquire a part of the optionor’s interest in the whole or a part of the acreage under a lease is entered into, the acre- age to which the option is applicable shall be fully charged to the optionor and a share thereof shall also be charged to the optionee, as his in- terest may appear, but after the option is exer- cised said acreage shall be charged to the parties pro rata as their interests may appear. In any case in which an assignment is made of a part of a lessee’s interest in the whole or part of the