30 U.S.C. § 181 | Lands subject to disposition; persons entitled to benefits; reciprocal privileges; helium rights reserved

March 1, 191136 Stat. 961 February 25, 1920Deposits of coal, phosphate, sodium, potassium, oil, oil shale, gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons), or gas, and lands containing such deposits owned by the United States, including those in national forests, but excluding lands acquired under the Appalachian Forest Act, approved (), and those in incorporated cities, towns, and villages and in national parks and monuments, those acquired under other Acts subsequent to , and lands within the naval petroleum and oil-shale reserves, except as hereinafter provided, shall be subject to disposition in the form and manner provided by this chapter to citizens of the United States, or to associations of such citizens, or to any corporation organized under the laws of the United States, or of any State or Territory thereof, or in the case of coal, oil, oil shale, or gas, to municipalities. Citizens of another country, the laws, customs, or regulations of which deny similar or like privileges to citizens or corporations of this country, shall not by stock ownership, stock holding, or stock control, own any interest in any lease acquired under the provisions of this chapter.

The term “oil” shall embrace all nongaseous hydrocarbon substances other than those substances leasable as coal, oil shale, or gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons).

section 226 of this titleNovember 16, 1981The term “combined hydrocarbon lease” shall refer to a lease issued in a special tar sand area pursuant to after .

November 20, 1980January 21, 1981The term “special tar sand area” means (1) an area designated by the Secretary of the Interior’s orders of (45 FR 76800–76801) and (46 FR 6077–6078) as containing substantial deposits of tar sand.

Provided furtherThe United States reserves the ownership of and the right to extract helium from all gas produced from lands leased or otherwise granted under the provisions of this chapter, under such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior: , That in the extraction of helium from gas produced from such lands it shall be so extracted as to cause no substantial delay in the delivery of gas produced from the well to the purchaser thereof, and that extraction of helium from gas produced from such lands shall maintain the lease as if the extracted helium were oil and gas.

Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, § 1 41 Stat. 437 Feb. 7, 1927, ch. 66, § 5 44 Stat. 1058 Aug. 8, 1946, ch. 916, § 1 60 Stat. 950 Pub. L. 86–705, § 7(a)Sept. 2, 196074 Stat. 790 Pub. L. 97–78, § 1(1)Nov. 16, 198195 Stat. 1070 Pub. L. 116–9, title I, § 1109Mar. 12, 2019133 Stat. 610 (, ; , ; , ; , , ; , (4), , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act Mar. 1, 1911, ch. 186 36 Stat. 961 section 552 of Title 16The Appalachian Forest Act, referred to in the first undesignated paragraph, is , , also popularly known as the Weeks Law, which enacted former sections 513 and 514 and sections 515 to 519, 521, 552, and 563 of Title 16, Conservation, and amended sections 480 and 500 of Title 16. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.

Amendments

Pub. L. 116–92019— inserted “, and that extraction of helium from gas produced from such lands shall maintain the lease as if the extracted helium were oil and gas” after “purchaser thereof” in last par.

Pub. L. 97–781981—, in first par., substituted “gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons),” for “native asphalt, solid and semisolid bitumen, and bituminous rock (including oil-impregnated rock or sands from which oil is recoverable only by special treatment after the deposit is mined or quarried)”, and added, after first par. three paragraphs which defined “oil”, “combined hydrocarbon lease”, and “special tar sand area”, respectively.

Pub. L. 86–7051960— included deposits of native asphalt, solid and semisolid bitumen, and bituminous rock.

Aug. 8, 1946February 25, 19201946—Act , reenacted: existing par., less three provisos, as first sentence of first par., inserting “potassium” after “sodium”, which was also included in the 1927 amendment, and substituting provision for disposition of deposits “in incorporated cities, towns, and villages, and in national parks and monuments, those acquired under other Acts subsequent to , and lands within the naval petroleum and oil-shale reserves” for such disposition “in national parks, and in lands withdrawn or reserved for military or naval uses or purposes” and phrase “associations of such citizens” for “any association of such persons”; former third proviso as second sentence of first par.; former first proviso, as second par., inserting reservation of ownership provision and striking out “permitted” before “leased or otherwise granted”; and former second proviso as proviso in second par.

Feb. 7, 19271927—Act , included deposits of potassium.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title of 2000 Amendments

Pub. L. 106–463, § 1Nov. 7, 2000114 Stat. 2010

section 184 of this title section 184 of this title“This Act [amending and enacting provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Coal Market Competition Act of 2000’.”

, , , provided that:

Pub. L. 106–393, title V, § 501Oct. 30, 2000114 Stat. 1624

section 191 of this title section 191 of this title“This title [amending and enacting provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Mineral Revenue Payments Clarification Act of 2000’.”

, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1987 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–203, title V, § 5101(a)Dec. 22, 1987101 Stat. 1330–256

Pub. L. 100–203 section 3148 of Title 16 section 226 of this title“This subtitle [subtitle B (§§ 5101–5113) of , enacting sections 195 and 226–3 of this title, amending sections 187a, 187b, 188, 191, and 226 of this title and , Conservation, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and ] may be cited as the ‘Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987’.”

, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1981 Amendment

Pub. L. 97–78Nov. 16, 198195 Stat. 1070 , , , which amended this section and sections 182, 184, 209, 226, 241, 351, and 352 of this title and enacted provisions set out as a note under this section, is popularly known as the “Combined Hydrocarbon Leasing Act of 1981”.

Short Title of 1976 Amendment

Pub. L. 94–377, § 1(a)Aug. 4, 197690 Stat. 1083 Pub. L. 95–554, § 8Oct. 30, 197892 Stat. 2075

“This Act [enacting sections 202a, 208–1, and 208–2 of this title, amending sections 184, 191, 201, 203, 207, 209, and 352 of this title, repealing sections 201–1 and 204 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 184, 201, 201–1, 203, and 204 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976’.”

, , , as amended by , , , provided that:

Short Title of 1960 Amendment

Pub. L. 86–705, § 1Sept. 2, 196074 Stat. 781

“That this Act [amending this section and sections 182, 184, 187a, 226, 226–1, 226–2, and 241 of this title, and enacted provisions set out as notes under sections 187a and 226 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Mineral Leasing Act Revision of 1960’.”

, , , provided:

Short Title

Act Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, § 44 Dec. 22, 1987Pub. L. 100–203, title V, § 5113101 Stat. 1330–263

“This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Mineral Leasing Act’.”

, as added , , , provided that:

This chapter is also popularly known as the “Mineral Leasing Act of 1920” and the “Mineral Lands Leasing Act”.

Savings Provision

Pub. L. 94–579Oct. 21, 197690 Stat. 2743 Feb. 25, 1920section 701(d) of Pub. L. 94–579 section 1701 of Title 43Provisions of Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, , , , not to be construed as permitting any person to place, or allow to be placed, spent oil shale, etc., on any Federal land other than land leased for the recovery of shale oil under the act of , section 181 et seq. of this title, see , set out as a note under , Public Lands.

Act Aug. 8, 1946, ch. 916, § 15 60 Stat. 950

Aug. 8, 1946“No repeal or amendment made by this Act [enacting sections 187a, 187b, 226c–226e, and 236b, amending this section and sections 184, 188, 193, 209, 225, 226, and 285, and repealing sections 223a, 226a, and 226b of this title] shall affect any right acquired under the law as it existed prior to such repeal or amendment, and such right shall be governed by the law in effect at the time of its acquisition; but any person holding a lease on the effective date of this Act [] may, by filing a statement to that effect, elect to have his lease governed by the applicable provisions of this Act instead of by the law in effect prior thereto.”

, , provided:

Construction and Applicability of 1981 Amendments

Pub. L. 97–78, § 1(10)Nov. 16, 198195 Stat. 1072

“(10)

Public Law 96–223 Nothing in this Act [see Short Title of 1981 Amendment note above] shall affect the taxable status of production from tar sand under the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980 () [see Tables for classification], reduce the depletion allowance for production from tar sand, or otherwise affect the existing tax status applicable to such production.

“(11)

No provision of this Act [see Short Title of 1981 Amendment note above] shall apply to national parks, national monuments, or other lands where mineral leasing is prohibited by law. The Secretary of the Interior shall apply the provisions of this Act to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and to any other units of the national park system where mineral leasing is permitted, in accordance with any applicable minerals management plan if the Secretary finds that there will be no resulting significant adverse impacts on the administration of such area, or on other contiguous units of the national park system.”

, (11), , , provided that:

Outer Continental Shelf; Mineral Leases

Grant by the Secretary of the Interior of mineral leases on submerged lands of outer Continental Shelf, see section 1331 et seq., of Title 43, Public Lands.

Selection of Lands by Alaska

section 6(h) of Pub. L. 85–508 section 21 of Title 48Selection of lands by Alaska from lands made available by Statehood provisions including lands subject to leases, permits, licenses or contracts issued under this chapter, see , set out as note preceding .

Executive Documents

Admission of Alaska as State: Selection of Lands

Jan. 3, 1959Jan. 3, 1959Pub. L. 85–508July 7, 195872 Stat. 339 section 21 of Title 48Admission of Alaska into the Union was accomplished , on issuance of Proc. No. 3269, , 24 F.R. 81, 73 Stat. c16, as required by sections 1 and 8(c) of , , , set out as notes preceding , Territories and Insular Possessions.