[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 750 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.750

                       One Hundred Fifth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
                                  eight


                                 An Act


 
 To consolidate certain mineral interests in the National Grasslands in 
   Billings County, North Dakota, through the exchange of Federal and 
 private mineral interests to enhance land management capabilities and 
     environmental and wildlife protection, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXCHANGE OF CERTAIN MINERAL INTERESTS IN BILLINGS COUNTY, 
NORTH DAKOTA.
    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to direct the 
consolidation of certain mineral interests in the Little Missouri 
National Grasslands in Billings County, North Dakota, through the 
exchange of Federal and private mineral interests in order to enhance 
land management capability and environmental and wildlife protection.
    (b) Exchange.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law--
        (1) if, not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of 
    this Act, Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company (referred to in 
    this Act as ``Burlington'' and formerly known as Meridian Oil 
    Inc.), conveys title acceptable to the Secretary of Agriculture 
    (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') to all oil and gas 
    rights and interests on lands identified on the map entitled 
    ``Billings County, North Dakota, Consolidated Mineral Exchange--
    November 1995'', by quitclaim deed acceptable to the Secretary, the 
    Secretary shall convey to Burlington, subject to valid existing 
    rights, by quitclaim deed, all Federal oil and gas rights and 
    interests on lands identified on that map; and
        (2) if Burlington makes the conveyance under paragraph (1) and, 
    not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
    the owners of the remaining non-oil and gas mineral interests on 
    lands identified on that map convey title acceptable to the 
    Secretary to all rights, title, and interests in the interests held 
    by them, by quitclaim deed acceptable to the Secretary, the 
    Secretary shall convey to those owners, subject to valid existing 
    rights, by exchange deed, all remaining Federal non-oil and gas 
    mineral rights, title, and interests in National Forest System 
    lands and National Grasslands identified on that map in the State 
    of North Dakota as are agreed to by the Secretary and the owners of 
    those interests.
    (c) Leasehold Interests.--As a condition precedent to the 
conveyance of interests by the Secretary to Burlington under this Act, 
all leasehold and contractual interests in the oil and gas interests to 
be conveyed by Burlington to the United States under this Act shall be 
released, to the satisfaction of the Secretary.
    (d) Equal Valuation of Oil and Gas Rights Exchange.--The values of 
the interests to be exchanged under subsection (b)(1) shall be deemed 
to be equal.
    (e) Approximate Equal Value of Exchanges With Other Interest 
Owners.--The values of the interests to be exchanged under subsection 
(b)(2) shall be approximately equal, as determined by the Secretary.
    (f) Land Use.--
        (1) Exploration and development.--The Secretary shall grant to 
    Burlington, and its successors and assigns, the use of federally-
    owned surface lands to explore for and develop interests conveyed 
    to Burlington under this Act, subject to applicable Federal and 
    State laws.
        (2) Surface occupancy and use.--Rights to surface occupancy and 
    use that Burlington would have absent the exchange under this Act 
    on its oil and gas rights and interests conveyed under this Act 
    shall apply to the same extent on the federally-owned surface 
    estate overlying oil and gas rights and interests conveyed to 
    Burlington under this Act.
    (g) Environmental Protection for Environmentally Sensitive Lands.--
All activities of Burlington, and its successors and assigns, relating 
to exploration and development on environmentally sensitive National 
Forest System lands, as described in the ``Memorandum of Understanding 
Concerning Certain Severed Mineral Estates, Billings County, North 
Dakota'', executed by the Forest Service and Burlington and dated 
November 2, 1995, shall be subject to the terms of the memorandum.
    (h) Map.--The map referred to in subsection (b) shall be provided 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the 
Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, kept on file in 
the office of the Chief of the Forest Service, and made available for 
public inspection in the office of the Forest Supervisor of the Custer 
National Forest within 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (i) Continuation of Multiple Use.--Nothing in this Act shall limit, 
restrict, or otherwise affect the application of the principle of 
multiple use (including outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, 
and fish and wildlife purposes) in any area of the Little Missouri 
National Grasslands. Federal grazing permits or privileges in areas 
designated on the map entitled ``Billings County, North
Dakota, Consolidated Mineral Exchange--November 1995'' or those lands 
described in the ``Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Certain 
Severed Mineral Estates, Billings County, North Dakota'', shall not be 
curtailed or otherwise limited as a result of the exchanges directed by 
this Act.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.