MINERAL LEASING ACT FOR ACQUIRED LANDS MINERAL LEASING ACT FOR ACQUIRED LANDS 115–232 Statute Compilation United States House of Representatives Office of the Legislative Counsel text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. GPO Statute Compilations USLM converter, version 20240419 2025-10-10 Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands 1566 80 1947-08-07 MINERAL LEASING ACT FOR ACQUIRED LANDS1 [As Amended Through P.L. 115–232, Enacted August 13, 2018] [Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Chapter 513 of the 80th Congress. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/] [Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]
AN ACTTo promote the mining of coal, phosphate, sodium, oil, oil shale, gas, and sulfur on lands acquired by the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That this Act may be cited as the “Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands”.1

The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (61 Stat. 913) consists of the Act of August 7, 1947 and subsequent amendments thereto (30 U.S.C. 351–359).

[30 U.S.C. 351 note]
Sec. 2. 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).[30 U.S.C. 351]
Sec. 3. 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.[30 U.S.C. 352]
Sec. 4. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed or construed to (a) amend, modify, or change any existing law authorizing or requiring the sale of acquired lands, or (b) empower any commission, bureau, or agency of the Government to make a reservation of the minerals in the sale of any acquired land: Provided, That any such sale or conveyance of lands shall be made by the agency having jurisdiction thereof, subject to any lease theretofore made, covering the mineral deposits underlying such lands: Provided further, That nothing in this Act is intended, or shall be construed to affect in any manner any provision of chapter 869 of title 10, United States Code.[30 U.S.C. 353]
Sec. 5. Where the United States does not own all of the mineral deposits under any lands sought to be leased and which are affected by this Act, the Secretary is authorized to lease the interest of the United States in any such mineral deposits when, in the judgment of the Secretary, the public interest will be best served thereby; subject, however, to the provisions of section 3 hereof. Where the United States does not own any interest or owns less than a full interest in the minerals that may be produced from any lands sought to be leased, and which are or will be affected by this Act and where, under the provisions of its acquisition, the United States is to a acquire all or any part of such mineral deposits in the future, the Secretary may lease any interest of the United States then owned or to be acquired in the future in the same manner as provided in the preceding sentence.[30 U.S.C. 354]
Sec. 6. (a) Subject to the provisions of section 35(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191(b)), all receipts derived from leases issued under the authority of this Act shall be paid into the same funds or accounts in the Treasury and shall be distributed in the same manner as prescribed for other receipts from the lands affected by the lease, the intention of this provision being that this Act shall not affect the distribution of receipts pursuant to legislation applicable to such lands: Provided, however, That receipts from leases or permits for minerals in lands set apart for Indian use, including lands the jurisdiction of which has been transferred to the Department of the Interior by the Executive order for Indian use, shall be deposited in a special fund in the Treasury until final disposition thereof by the Congress. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this section, all receipts derived from leases on lands acquired for military or naval purposes, except the naval petroleum reserves and national oil shale reserves, shall be paid into the Treasury of the United States and disposed of in the same manner as provided under section 35 of the Act of February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 450; 30 U.S.C. 191), in the case of receipts from sales, bonuses, royalties, and rentals of the public lands under that Act. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any payment to a State under this section shall be made by the Secretary of the Interior and shall be made not later than the last business day of the month following the month in which such moneys or associated reports are received by the Secretary of the Interior, whichever is later. The preceding sentence shall also apply to any payment to a State derived from a lease for mineral resources issued by the Secretary of the Interior under the last paragraph under the heading “forest service.” in the Act of March 4, 1917 (Chapter 179; 16 U.S.C. 520). The Secretary shall pay interest to a State on any amount not paid to the State within that time at the rate prescribed under section 111 of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 from the date payment was required to be made under this subsection until the date payment is made. [30 U.S.C. 355]
Sec. 7. Upon request by the Secretary, the heads of all executive departments, independent establishments, or instrumentalities having jurisdiction over any of the lands referred to in section 2 of this Act shall furnish to the Secretary the legal description of all of such lands, and all pertinent abstracts, title papers, and other documents in the possession of such agencies concerning the status of the title of the United States to the mineral deposits that may be found in such lands. Abstracts, title papers, and other documents furnished to the Secretary under this section shall be recorded promptly in the Bureau of Land Management in such form as the Secretary shall deem adequate for their preservation and use in the administration of this Act, whereupon the originals shall be returned promptly to the agency from which they were received. Duly authenticated copies of any such abstracts, title papers, or other documents may, however, be furnished to the Secretary, in lieu of the originals, in the discretion of the agency concerned. [30 U.S.C. 356]
Sec. 8. Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to affect the rights of the State or other local authorities to exercise any right which they may have with respect to properties covered by leases issued under this Act, including the right to levy and collect taxes upon improvements, output of mines, or other rights, property, or asset of any lessee of the United States.[30 U.S.C. 357]
Sec. 9. Nothing in this Act shall affect any rights acquired by any lessee of lands subject to this Act under the law as it existed prior to the effective date of this Act, and such rights shall be governed by the law in effect at the time of their acquisition; but any person qualified to hold a lease who, on the date of this Act, had pending an application for an oil and gas lease for any lands subject to this Act which on the date the application was filed was not situated within the known geologic structure of a producing oil or gas field, shall have a preference right over others to a lease of such lands without competitive bidding. Any person holding a lease on lands subject hereto, which lease was issued prior to the effective date of this Act, shall be entitled to exchange such lease for a new lease issued under the provisions of this Act, at any time prior to the expiration of such existing lease.[30 U.S.C. 358]
Sec. 10. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations as are necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act, which rules and regulations shall be the same as those prescribed under the mineral leasing laws to the extent that they are applicable.[30 U.S.C. 359]
SEC. 11. AUTHORITY TO MANAGE CERTAIN MINERAL LEASES. Each department, agency and instrumentality of the United States which administers lands acquired by the United States with one or more existing mineral lease shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior the authority to administer such lease and to collect all receipts due and payable to the United States under the lease. In the case of lands acquired on or before the date of the enactment of this section, the authority to administer the leases and collect receipts shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Interior as expeditiously as practicable after the date of enactment of this section. In the case of lands acquired after the date of enactment of this section, such authority shall be vested with the Secretary at the time of acquisition. The provisions of section 6 of this Act shall apply to all receipts derived from such leases where such receipts are due and payable to the United States under the lease in the same manner as such provisions apply to receipts derived from leases issued under the authority of this Act. For purposes of this section, the term “existing mineral lease” means any lease in existence at the time land is acquired by the United States. Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the existing surface management authority of any Federal agency.[30 U.S.C. 360]