Title 43—Public Lands: Interior--Volume 1
PART 3420—COMPETITIVE LEASING
§ 3420.0-1   Purpose.
This subpart sets forth how the Department will conduct competitive leasing of rights to extract Federal coal.
§ 3420.0-2   Objectives.
The objectives of these regulations are to establish policies and procedures for considering development of coal deposits through a leasing system involving land use planning and environmental assessment or environmental impact statement processes; to promote the timely and orderly development of publicly owned coal resources; to ensure that coal deposits are leased at their fair market value; and to ensure that coal deposits are developed in consultation, cooperation and coordination with the public, state and local governments, Indian tribes and involved Federal agencies.
§ 3420.0-3   Authority.
(a) The regulations in this part are issued under the authority of the statutes cited in § 3400.0-3 of this title.
(b) The regulations in this part implement: (1) Primarily section 2(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended by sections 2 and 3 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976 (30 U.S.C. 201(a)); and (2) the Small Business Act of 1953, as amended (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq. ).
§ 3420.1   Procedures.
§ 3420.1-1   Lands subject to evaluation for leasing.
All lands subject to coal leasing under the mineral leasing laws are subject to evaluation under this subpart (43 CFR 3400.2).
§ 3420.1-2   Call for coal resource and other resource information.
(a) Prior to or as part of the initiation or update of a land use plan or land use analysis, a Call for Coal and Other Resource Information shall be made to formally solicit indications of interest and information on coal resource development potential and on other resources which may be affected by coal development for lands in the planning unit. Industry, State and local governments and the general public may submit information on lands that should be considered for coal leasing, including statements describing why the lands should be considered for leasing.
(b) Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted in response to the Call for Coal and Other Resource Information, however, all such proprietary data shall be submitted to the authorized officer only. Data marked as confidential shall be treated in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information.
(c) The Call for Coal and Other Resource Information may be combined with the notice of intent to conduct land use planning published in accordance with § 1601.3(g) of this title or with the issue identification process in accordance with part 1600 of this title. If the agency conducting land use planning is other than the Bureau of Land Management, that agency may combine the Call for Coal and Other Resource Information with its land use planning process at the appropriate step.
§ 3420.1-3   Special leasing opportunities.
(a) The Secretary shall, under the procedures established in this subpart, including § 3420.3 of this title, reserve and offer a reasonable number of lease tracts through competitive lease sales open only to a restricted class of potential bidders. Except for the limitation on bidding contained in paragraph (b) of this section, all requirements in this subpart apply equally to special leasing opportunities, including the requirement that coal be leased at its fair market value.
(b) Special leasing opportunities shall be provided for two classes of potential lessees:
(1) Public bodies. (i) Only public bodies with a definite plan for producing energy for their own use or for their members or customers shall bid for leases designated as special leasing opportunities for public bodies. To qualify as a definite plan, a plan must clearly state the intended use of the coal and have been approved by the governing board of the public body submitting the plan. In the event an electric generating station which will produce energy for the public body is either jointly owned with or participated in by others, or both, the definite plan shall assure that the public body's proportionate part of the energy produced is utilized pursuant to this paragraph.
(ii) Each public body shall submit the information specified in § 3472.2-5(a) (1) and (2) of this title as part of its expression of leasing interest or upon submission of a bid if no expression of leasing interest is made. The information specified in § 3472.2-5(a) (3) and (4) of this title shall be submitted within 60 days after submission of an expression of leasing interest or lease bid if no expression of leasing interest is made.
(iii) The Secretary may designate, during the process of preparing a regional lease sale schedule, certain coal lease tracts for special leasing opportunities for public bodies only if a public body has submitted an expression of leasing interest under § 3420.3-2, requesting that the procedures of this section apply.
(iv) Leases issued under this section to public bodies may be assigned only to other public bodies, or to a person who will mine the coal on behalf of and for the use of the public body, or to a person for the limited purpose of creating a security interest in favor of a lender who agrees to be obligated to mine the coal on behalf of the public body.
(2) Small businesses. (i) When necessary to comply with the requirements of the Small Business Act, the Secretary shall designate a reasonable number of tracts for special leasing opportunities for businesses qualifying under 13 CFR part 121.
(ii) Leases issued under this section may be assigned only to other small businesses qualifying under 13 CFR part 121.
(c) Potential lessees qualifying for special leasing opportunities may participate in competitive lease sales not designated as special leasing opportunities and shall not be required to submit the evidence and information required specifically for a special leasing opportunity to participate.
§ 3420.1-4   General requirements for land use planning.
(a) The Secretary may not hold a lease sale under this part unless the lands containing the coal deposits are included in a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis. The land use plan or land use analysis will be conducted with public notice and opportunity for participation at the points specified in § 1610.2(f) of this title. The sale must be compatible with, and subject to, any relevant stipulations, guidelines, and standards set out in that plan or analysis.
(b)(1) The Bureau of Land Management shall prepare comprehensive land use plans and land use analyses for lands it administers in conformance with 43 CFR part 1600.
(2) The Department of Agriculture or any other Federal agency with surface management authority over lands subject to leasing shall prepare comprehensive land use plans or land use analyses for lands it administers.
(3) The Secretary may lease in any area where it is found either that there is no Federal interest in the surface or that the coal deposits in an area are insufficient to justify the costs of a Federal land use plan upon completion of a land use analysis in accordance with this section and 43 CFR part 1600.
(c) In an area of Federal lands not covered by a completed comprehensive land use plan or scheduled for comprehensive land use planning, a member of the public may request the appropriate Bureau of Land Management State Office to prepare a land use analysis for coal related uses of the land as provided for in this group.
(d) A comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis shall contain an estimate of the amount of coal recoverable by either surface or underground mining operations or both.
(e) The major land use planning decision concerning the coal resource shall be the identification of areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing which shall be identified by the screening procedures listed below:
(1) Only those areas that have development potential may be identified as acceptable for further consideration for leasing. The Bureau of Land Management shall estimate coal development potential for the surface management agency. Coal companies, State and local governments and the general public are encouraged to submit information to the Bureau of Land Management at any time in connection with such development potential determinations. Coal companies, State and local governments and members of the general public may also submit nonconfidential coal geology and economic data during the inventory phase of planning to the surface management agency conducting the land use planning. Where such information is determined to indicate development potential for an area, the area may be included in the land use planning for evaluation for coal leasing.
(2) The Bureau of Land Management or the surface managing agency conducting the land use planning shall, using the unsuitability criteria and procedures set out in subpart 3461 of this title, review Federal lands to assess where there are areas unsuitable for all or certain stipulated methods of mining. The unsuitability assessment shall be consistent with any decision of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to designate lands unsuitable or to terminate a designation in response to a petition.
(3) Multiple land use decisions shall be made which may eliminate additional coal deposits from further consideration for leasing to protect other resource values and land uses that are locally, regionally or nationally important or unique and that are not included in the unsuitability criteria discussed in paragraph (e) of this section. Such values and uses include, but are not limited to, those identified in section 522(a)(3) of the Surface Mining Reclamation and Control Act of 1977 and as defined in 30 CFR 762.5. In making these multiple use decisions, the Bureau of Land Management or the surface management agency conducting the land use planning shall place particular emphasis on protecting the following: Air and water quality; wetlands, riparian areas and sole-source aquifers; the Federal lands which, if leased, would adversely impact units of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National System of Trails, and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(4)(i) While preparing a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis, the Bureau of Land Management shall consult with all surface owners who meet the criteria in paragraphs (gg) (1) and (2) of § 3400.0-5 of this title, and whose lands overlie coal deposits, to determine preference for or against mining by other than underground mining techniques.
(ii) For the purposes of this paragraph, any surface owner who has previously granted written consent to any party to mine by other than underground mining techniques shall be deemed to have expressed a preference in favor of mining. Where a significant number of surface owners in an area have expressed a preference against mining those deposits by other than underground mining techniques, that area shall be considered acceptable for further consideration only for development by underground mining techniques. In addition, the area may be considered acceptable for further consideration for leasing for development by other than underground techniques if there are no acceptable alternative areas available to meet the regional leasing level.
(iii) An area eliminated from further consideration by this subsection may be considered acceptable for further consideration for leasing for mining by other than underground mining techniques if:
(A) The number of surface owners who have expressed their preference against mining by other than underground techniques is reduced below a significant number because such surface owners have given written consent for such mining or have transferred ownership to unqualified surface owners; and
(B) The land use plan is amended accordingly.
(f) In its review of cumulative impacts of coal development, the regional coal team shall consider any threshold analysis performed during land-use planning as required by § 1610.4-4 of this title and shall apply this analysis, where appropriate, to the region as a whole.
§ 3420.1-5   Hearing requirements.
After public notice, the Bureau of Land Management or other surface management agency shall conduct a public hearing on the proposed comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis if it involves the potential for coal leasing before it is adopted if such a hearing is requested by any person who is or may be adversely affected by the adoption of the plan. A hearing conducted under part 1600 of this title of this chapter shall fulfill this requirement.
§ 3420.1-6   Consultation with Federal surface management agencies.
Where a Federal surface management agency other than the Bureau of Land Management administers limited areas overlying Federal coal within the boundaries of a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis being prepared by the Bureau of Land Management, or where the Bureau of Land Management manages lands on which coal development may impact land units of other Federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management shall consult with the other agency to jointly determine the acceptability for further consideration for leasing of the potentially impacted lands the other agency administers or lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management that may impact lands of another agency.
§ 3420.1-7   Consultation with states and Indian tribes.
Before adopting a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis that makes an assessment of lands acceptable for further consideration for leasing, the Bureau of Land Management or other surface management agency shall consult with the state Governor and the state agency charged with the responsibility for maintaining the state's unsuitability program (43 CFR 3461.4-1). Where a tribal government administers areas within or near the boundaries of a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis being prepared by the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau shall consult with the tribal government.
§ 3420.1-8   Identification of lands as acceptable for further consideration.
(a) Identification of lands as acceptable for further consideration for leasing will be made in the adoption of a comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis. Any lands identified as acceptable may be further considered for leasing under § 3420.3 of this title.
(b) Activity planning shall begin with a regional coal team meeting to review market analyses and land-use planning summaries. The market analyses and land-use planning summaries shall be avaiable at least 45 days prior to such meeting.
§ 3420.2   Regional leasing levels.
This section sets out the process to be followed in establishing regional leasing levels. Regional leasing levels shall be established by the Secretary. The Secretary shall particularly rely upon the advice and assistance of affected State Governors in ensuring that leasing levels have properly considered social, environmental and economic impacts and constraints.
(a) The regional coal teams shall be the forum through which initial leasing level recommendations are transmitted to the Secretary. Initial leasing level recommendations shall be developed as follows:
(1) The appropriate Bureau of Land Management State Director on the regional coal team, as designated by the regional coal team chairperson, shall prepare a broadly stated range of initial leasing levels for the region. This range of initial leasing levels must be based on information available to the State Director including: land use planning data; the results of the call for coal resource information held under § 3420.1-2 of this subpart; the results of the call for expressions of leasing interest held under § 3420.3-2 of this subpart; and other considerations. The State Director will consider comments received from the public in writing and at hearings, and input and advice from the Governors of the affected States regarding assumptions, data, and other factors pertinent to the region;
(2) This initial range of leasing levels shall be made available to the other members of the regional coal team for review and comment. This review shall be designed to ensure consideration of relevant social, environmental and economic factors of which the Secretary should be aware in setting leasing levels;
(3) Governors of affected States shall be requested by the regional coal team chairperson to provide comments and recommendations concerning the leasing levels through the Governor's representatives on the regional coal team. Governors may use any methodologies, systems or procedures available to determine their recommendations;
(4) The regional coal team chairperson shall call upon the team members to present their findings and recommendations on the initial leasing levels. The chairperson shall refer the members' recommendations to an appropriate Bureau State Director serving on the team. The State Director shall: (i) Ensure the recommendations are in an appropriate format; (ii) add any additional information from the Bureau of Land Management data sources which may be available and pertinent to leasing level decision-making; (iii) address any questions and clarify any issues raised by the members' recommendations; and (iv) outline any additional alternative leasing levels. The regional coal team shall consider the State Director's review and shall transmit to the Secretary alternative leasing levels and a preferred leasing level presented in ranges of tons to be offered for lease. The team also must transmit to the Secretary, without change, all comments and recommendations of the Governor and the public.
(5) The regional coal team transmittal to the Secretary shall be made through the Director, who may provide additional data and recommendations, but only as separate documentation.
(b) The Secretary, upon receipt of the regional coal team transmittal, shall initiate consultations, in writing, with the Secretary of Energy, the Attorney General and affected Indian tribes. The Secretary shall establish leasing levels by region for the purposes of approximating the amount of coal to be offered through proposed lease sale schedules after consideration of potential policy conflicts or problems concerning, but not limited to:
(1) The Department's responsibility for the management, regulation and conservation of natural resources; and
(2) The capabilities of Federal lands and Federal coal resources to meet the proposed leasing levels, and the contributions State and privately owned coal lands can make.
(c) Leasing levels shall be based on the following factors:
(1) Advice from Governors of affected States as expressed through the regional coal team;
(2) The potential economic, social and environmental effects of coal leasing on the region, including recommendations from affected Indian tribes;
(3) Expressed industry interest in coal development in the region and indications of the demand for coal reserves;
(4) Expressed interests for special opportunity sales;
(5) Expected production from existing Federal coal leases and non-Federal coal holdings;
(6) The level of competition within the region and recommendations from the Department of Justice;
(7) U.S. coal production goals and projections of future demand for Federal coal;
(8) Consideration of national energy needs;
(9) Comments received from the public in writing and at public hearings; and
(10) Other pertinent factors.
(d) Prior to determining a final leasing level, the Secretary shall consult with the Governors of affected States to obtain final comments and recommendations. The Secretary shall then establish a final leasing level for the proposed coal lease sale.
(e) The levels shall be established for each coal production region where activity planning is conducted under the provisions of § 3420.3 of this subpart. The levels shall be developed separately for each region, but levels for 2 or more regions may be developed at the same time as the Secretary deems appropriate. Leasing levels may be stated in terms of a range of values.
(f) The leasing levels established for any given region shall become the basis for the proposed action for study in the regional coal lease sale environmental impact statement prepared pursuant to § 3420.3-4 of this subpart. The Secretary's final decision on which coal lease tracts, if any, within a region to offer for sale, and the schedule for the offering of such tracts shall be based on all information at the Secretary's disposal at the time of the decision.
§ 3420.3   Activity planning: The leasing process.
§ 3420.3-1   Area identification process.
(a) This section describes the process for identifying, ranking, analyzing, selecting, and scheduling lease tracts after land use planning has been completed. This process constitutes the “activity planning” aspect of the coal management program. Activity planning may occur where areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing have been identified by land use planning completed consistent with the provisions of § 3420.1-4 of this subpart.
(b) Split estate land otherwise acceptable for further consideration for leasing shall, upon verfication of a refusal to consent received from a qualified surface owner under § 3427.2 of this title, be deleted from further activity planning.
(c) Each regional coal team established under § 3400.4 of this title shall:
(1) Guide tract delineation and preparation of site specific analyses of delineated tracts;
(2) Rank delineated tracts, select tracts that meet the leasing level established by the Secretary, and identify all alternative tract combinations to be analyzed in the regional lease sale environmental impact statement;
(3) Guide the preparation of the regional lease sale environmental impact statement; and
(4) Recommend a regional coal lease sale schedule to the Director.
(d) Public notice and opportunity for participation in activity planning must be appropriate to the area and the people involved. The Bureau of Land Management will make available a calendar listing of the points in the planning process at which the public may participate, including:
(1) The regional coal team meeting to recommend initial leasing levels (see § 3420.2(a)(4));
(2) The regional coal team meeting for tract ranking (see § 3420.3-4(a));
(3) Publication of the regional coal lease sale environmental impact statement (see § 3420.3-4(c)); and
(4) The regional coal team meeting to recommend specific tracts for a lease sale and a lease sale schedule (see § 3420.3-4(g)).
§ 3420.3-2   Expressions of leasing interest.
(a) A call for expressions of leasing interest may be made after areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing have been identified by land use planning completed consistent with the provisions of § 3420.1-4 of this subpart.
(b) Each call for expressions of leasing interest shall be published as a notice in the Federal Register and in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each affected state.
(c) All information submitted under this subpart shall be available for public inspection and copying upon request. Data which are considered proprietary shall not be submitted as part of an expression of leasing interest.
§ 3420.3-3   Preliminary tract delineation.
(a) Tracts may be delineated in any areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing whether or not expressions of leasing interest have been received for those areas.
(b) When public bodies have submitted expressions of leasing interest, tracts shall be delineated when and where technically feasible for public body special leasing opportunities in accordance with § 3420.1-3 of this subpart.
(c) In cooperation with the Small Business Administration, tracts may be delineated when and where technically feasible for small business special leasing opportunities in accordance with § 3420.1-3 of this title.
(d) Other tracts to be used in a lease or fee exchange (43 CFR subparts 3435 and 3436) may be delineated.
(e) A tract profile shall be formulated for each tract. The profile shall include:
(1) A summary of the information used in the delineation of the tract, and
(2) A site-specific environmental inventory and preliminary analysis.
§ 3420.3-4   Regional tract ranking, selection, environmental analysis and scheduling.
(a)(1) Upon completion of tract delineation and preparation of the tract profiles, the regional coal team shall rank the tracts in classes of high, medium or low desirability for coal leasing. Three major categories of consideration shall be used in tract ranking: coal economics; impacts on the natural environment; and socioeconomic impacts. The subfactors the regional coal team will consider under each category are those the regional coal team determines are appropriate for that region. The regional coal team will make its determination after publishing notice in the Federal Register that the public has 30 days to comment on the subfactors. The regional coal team will then consider any comments it receives in determining the subfactors. BLM will publish the subfactors in the regional lease sale environmental impact statement required by this section. Tracts may also be ranked for other coal management purposes, such as emergency leasing under subpart 3425 of this title or exchanges under subparts 3435 and 3436 of this title.
(2) The regional coal team may modify tract boundaries being ranked, if appropriate, to reflect additional information.
(3) In ranking tracts, the regional coal team shall solicit the recommendations of the Federal and State agencies having appropriate expertise, including the Geological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal surface management agency, if other than the Bureau of Land Management.
(4) Where Federal leasing decisions are likely to have impacts on lands held in trust for an Indian tribe, the regional coal team shall solicit the recommendations of the tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(5) A statement that descriptions of the tracts to be ranked are available shall be included with the notice announcing any regional coal team meeting at which those tracts shall be ranked. BLM will publish the notice no later than 45 days before the meeting. The notice will list potential topics for discussion. An opportunity for public comment on the tract rankings shall be provided during the regional coal team meeting.
(b)(1) Upon completion of tract ranking, the regional coal team shall select at least 1 combination of tracts that approximates the regional leasing level. One combination of tracts within the regional leasing level shall be identified as the proposed action for study in the environmental impact statement. The team shall also select tract combinations representing alternative leasing levels. The team may identify alternative combinations of tracts within a leasing level.
(2) The regional coal team may adjust the tract ranking and select tracts to reflect considerations including:
(i) The compatibility of coal quality, coal type and market needs;
(ii) Environmental and socioeconomic impacts;
(iii) The compatibility of reserve size and demand distribution for tracts;
(iv) Public opinion;
(v) Avoidance of future emergency lease situations; and
(vi) Special leasing opportunity requirements.
(c) After tract ranking and selection, a regional lease sale environmental impact statement on all tract combinations selected by the regional coal team for the various leasing levels and all other reasonable alternative leasing levels shall be prepared by the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act. The statement shall consider both:
(1) The site-specific potential environmental impacts of each tract being considered for lease sale; and
(2) The intraregional cumulative environmental impacts of the proposed leasing action and alternatives, and other coal and noncoal development activities.
(d) The results of the ranking and selection process, including the tract rankings, the tract selected and the list of ranking criteria used shall be published in the regional lease sale environmental impact statement required by paragraph (c) of this section. Detailed information on each of the tracts shall be available for inspection in the Bureau of Land Management State offices that have jurisdiction over lands within the coal production region (See 43 CFR subpart 1821). BLM will publish a notice in the Federal Register of the 60-day comment period and the public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement. BLM also will publish the notice at least once per week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of the sale.
(e) Public hearings shall be held in the region following the release of the draft regional lease sale environmental impact statement to announce and discuss the results of the ranking and selection process and the potential impacts, including proposed mitigation measures.
(f) When the comment period on the draft environmental impact statement closes, the regional coal team will analyze the comments and make any appropriate revisions in the tract ranking and selection. The final regional lease sale environmental impact statement will reflect such revisions and will include all comments received.
(g) When BLM completes and releases the final regional lease sale environmental impact statement, the regional coal team will meet and recommend specific tracts for lease sale and a lease sale schedule. The regional coal team will provide notice in the Federal Register of the date and location at least 45 days before its meeting. The chairperson shall submit the recommendations to the Director. Any disagreement as to the recommendation among the team shall be documented and submitted by the chairperson along with the team recommendation. The Director shall submit the final regional environmental impact statement to the Secretary for his/her decision, together with the recommendation of the team and any recommendations the Director may wish to make.
(h) The tract ranking, selection and scheduling process and the regional lease sale environmental impact statement shall be revised or repeated as needed. The Secretary may, in consultation with the Governor(s) of the affected State(s) and surface management agencies, initiate or postpone the process to respond to considerations such as major land use planning updates, new tract delineations or increases or decreases in the leasing levels.
§ 3420.4   Final consultations.
§ 3420.4-1   Timing of consultation.
Following the release of the final regional lease sale environmental impact statement, and prior to adopting a regional lease sale schedule, the Secretary shall engage in formal consultation as specified in §§ 3420.4-2 through 3420.4-5 of this title.
§ 3420.4-2   Consultation with surface management agencies.
(a) The Secretary, for any proposed lease tract containing lands the surface of which is under the jurisdiction of any agency other than the Department, shall request that the agency: (1) Consent, if it has not already done so, to the issuance of the lease (43 CFR 3400.3-1), and (2) if it consents, prescribe the terms and conditions the Secretary will impose in any lease which the head of the agency requires for the use and protection of the nonmineral interests in those lands.
(b) The Secretary may prescribe additional terms and conditions that are consistent with the terms proposed by the surface management agency to protect the interest of the United States and to safeguard the public welfare.
§ 3420.4-3   Consultation with Governors.
(a) The Secretary shall consult the Governor of the state in which any tract proposed for sale is located. The Secretary shall give the Governor 30 days to comment before adopting a regional lease sale schedule or, for lease applications, before publishing a notice of sale for any tract within the State.
(b) When a tract proposed for lease sale within the boundaries of a National Forest would, if leased, be mined by surface mining methods, the Governor of the state in which the land to be leased is located shall be so notified by the Secretary. If the Governor fails to object to the lease sale proposal in 60 days, the Secretary may publish a notice of sale, including that tract. If, within the 60 day period, the Governor, in writing, objects to the lease sale proposal, the Secretary may not publish a notice of sale for that tract. Publication of the notice of sale shall be held in abeyance for 6 months from the date that the Governor objects. The Governor may, during this six-month period, submit a written statement of reasons why the tract should not be proposed for lease sale, and the Secretary shall, on the basis of this statement, reconsider the lease sale proposal.
(c) Before determining whether to conduct a lease sale, the Secretary shall seek the recommendation of the Governor of the State(s) in which the lands proposed to be offered for lease are located as to whether or not to lease such lands and what alternative actions are available and what special conditions could be added to the proposed lease(s) to mitigate impacts. The Secretary shall accept the recommendations of the Governor(s) if he determines that they provide for a reasonable balance between the national interest and the State's interests. The Secretary shall communicate to the Governor(s) in writing and publish in the Federal Register the reasons for his determination to accept or reject such Governor's recommendations.
§ 3420.4-4   Consultation with Indian tribes.
The Secretary shall consult with any Indian tribe which may be affected by the adoption of the proposed regional lease sale schedule. The Secretary shall give the tribe 30 days in which to comment prior to adopting a lease sale schedule.
§ 3420.4-5   Consultation with the Attorney General.
The Secretary shall consult with and give due consideration to the advice of the Attorney General before the adoption of the proposed regional lease sale schedule. The Secretary shall provide 30 days in which the Attorney General may advise the Secretary prior to adopting a lease schedule.
§ 3420.5   Adoption of final regional lease sale schedule.
§ 3420.5-1   Announcement.
Following completion of the requirements of §§ 3420.3 and 3420.4 of this title, the Secretary shall announce the adoption of a final regional lease sale schedule. The announcement shall be published in the Federal Register and contain a legal description of each tract included in the lease sale schedule and the date when each tract has been tentatively scheduled for sale. Notice of this announcement shall be published in at least 1 newspaper of general distribution in each state within the region for which the regional lease sale schedule is adopted.
§ 3420.5-2   Revision.
(a) The Secretary may revise either the list of tracts included in the schedule or the timing of the lease sales in accordance with any alternatives which were considered in the regional lease sale environmental impact statement and during consultation under § 3420.4 of this title. BLM will publish a notice in the Federal Register and provide a 30-day comment period before it makes any revision increasing the number or frequency of sales, or the amount of coal offered. BLM will publish any revision in the Federal Register.
(b) Any regional lease sale schedule may be updated or replaced as a result of a new regional tract ranking, selection, and scheduling effort conducted in accordance with the provisions of § 3420.3-4 of this title.
§ 3420.6   Reoffer of tracts not sold in previous regional lease sales.
Following the offering of tracts in accordance with the procedures outlined in §§ 3420.2, 3420.3, 3420.4 and 3420.5, any tracts not sold in accordance with the above listed provisions may be reoffered for sale by the Department provided a lease sale schedule has been reviewed by the regional coal team and, after consultation with the Governor, adopted by the Secretary. Provisions of subpart 3422 shall apply to these tracts.
§ 3422.1   Fair market value and maximum economic recovery.
(a) Not less than 30 days prior to the publication of a notice of sale, the Secretary shall solicit public comments on fair market value (FMV) appraisal and the maximum economic recovery (MER) of the tract or tracts proposed to be offered and on factors that may affect these 2 determinations. BLM will publish the solicitation in the Federal Register and at least once per week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of the sale. Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted to the Bureau of Land Management in response to the solicitation of public comments. Data so marked shall be treated in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information.
(b) The authorized officer shall prepare a written report containing information on the mining method evaluation, estimated coal reserves by bed, coal quality assessment, royalty and lease bond recommendations and an evaluation of the public comments on the FMV and MER.
(c)(1) The authorized officer shall not accept any bid that is less than the fair market value as determined by the Department.
(2) Minimum bids shall be set on a regional basis and may be expressed in either dollars-per-acre or cents-per-ton. In no case shall the minimum bid be less than $100 per acre or its equivalent in cents-per-ton.
§ 3422.2   Notice of sale and detailed statement.
(a) Prior to the lease sale, the authorized officer shall publish a notice of the proposed sale in the Federal Register and in a newspaper(s) of general circulation in the county or equivalent political subdivision in which the tracts to be sold are situated. The newspaper notice shall be published not less than once a week for 3 consecutive weeks. BLM will post notice of the sale in BLM State Office where the coal lands are managed. BLM will also mail notice to any surface owner of lands noticed for sale and to any other person who has requested notice of sales in the area. The lease sale shall not be held until at least 30 days after such posting in the State Office.
(b) The notice shall:
(1) List the time and place of sale, the type of sale, bidding method, rental, and the description of the tract(s) being offered and the minimum bid(s) to be considered;
(2) Contain a description of the coal resources to be offered; and
(3) Contain information on where a detailed statement of the terms and conditions of the lease(s) which may result from the lease sale may be obtained.
(c) The detailed statement of the terms and conditions of the lease(s) offered and bidding instructions for sale shall:
(1) Contain an explanation of the manner in which the bids may be submitted;
(2) Contain a warning to all bidders concerning 18 U.S.C. 1860, which prohibits unlawful combination or intimidation of bidders;
(3) Specify that the Secretary reserves the right to reject any and all bids and the right to offer the lease to the next highest qualified bidder if the successful bidder fails to obtain the lease for any reason;
(4) Contain a notice that each bid shall be accompanied by the bidder's qualifications (See 43 CFR 3472.2-2);
(5) Contain a notice to bidders that the winning bidders shall have to submit the information required by the Attorney General for post-sale review (See 43 CFR 3422.3-4);
(6) If appropriate, contain (i) a copy of any written qualified surface owner consent, including purchase price, financial obligations and terms and conditions, filed and verified prior to the posting of the notice of lease sale in the appropriate Bureau of Land Management State office; or (ii) a listing of lands for which qualified surface owner consent is required prior to lease sale but has not yet been filed, along with a statement that any consent for those lands filed prior to the deadline for such filings shall be made a part of the official file and shall be available for inspection by the public;
(7) If appropriate, contain a notice that bidders shall file a statement that all information they hold relevant to written consents affecting any area offered in the sale in which the bid is submitted has been filed with the proper Bureau of Land Management State office (43 CFR subpart 1821) in accordance with the provisions of subpart 3427 of this title;
(8) Contain a copy of the proposed lease, including all terms and special stipulations; and
(9) Contain any other information deemed appropriate by the authorized officer.
(d) Each successful bidder, if any, shall reimburse the United States for a proportionate share of the cost of publishing the notice of sale as a condition of lease issuance.
§ 3422.3   Sale procedures.
§ 3422.3-1   Bidding systems.
(a) The provisions of 10 CFR part 378 1 are not applicable to this part.
1 Redesignated as 30 CFR part 260 and removed at 48 FR 1182, Jan. 11, 1983.
(b) The Department may conduct lease sales using cash bonus—fixed royalty bidding systems or any other bidding system adopted through rulemaking procedures.
§ 3422.3-2   Conduct of sale.
(a)(1) Sealed bids shall be received only until the hour on the date specified in the notice of competitive leasing; all sealed bids submitted after that hour shall be returned. The authorized officer shall read all sealed bids, and shall announce the highest bid.
(2) No decision to accept or reject the high bid will be made at the time of sale.
(b) A sale panel shall convene to determine: (1) If the high bid was properly submitted; (2) if it reflects the FMV of the tract; and (3) whether the bidder is qualified to hold the lease. The recommendations of the panel shall be in writing and sent to the authorized officer who shall make the final decision to accept a bid or reject all bids. The sale panel's recommendation and the authorized officer's written decision shall be entered in the case file for the offered tract. The successful bidder shall be notified in writing. The Department reserves the right to reject any and all bids regardless of the amount offered, and shall not accept any bid that is less than fair market value. The authorized officer shall notify any bidder whose bid has been rejected and include in such notice a statement of the reason for the rejection. The Department reserves the right to offer the lease to the next highest qualified bidder if the successful bidder fails to execute the lease, or is for any reason disqualified from receiving the lease.
(c) Each sealed bid shall be accompanied by a certified check, cashier's check, bank draft, money order, certificate of bidding rights, personal check or cash for one-fifth of the amount of the bonus, and a qualifications statement over the bidder's own signature with respect to citizenship and interests held, as prescribed in § 3472.2-2 of this title.
§ 3422.3-3   Unsurveyed lands.
If the land is unsurveyed, the successful bidder shall not be given notice to comply with the requirements of § 3422.4 of this title for lease issuance until the land has been surveyed as provided in § 3471.1-2 of this title.
§ 3422.3-4   Consultation with the Attorney General.
(a) Subsequent to a lease sale, but prior to issuing a lease, the authorized officer shall require the successful bidder to submit on a form or in a format approved by the Attorney General information relating to the bidder's coal holdings to the authorized officer for transmittal to the Attorney General. Upon receipt of the information, the authorized officer shall notify the Attorney General of the proposed lease issuance, the name of the successful bidder and terms of the proposed lease sale and shall transmit the bidder's statement on coal holdings. A description of the information required by the Attorney General and the form or format for submission of the information may be obtained from the authorized officer.
(b) Where a successful bidder has previously submitted the currently required information, a reference to the date of submission and to the serial number of the record in which it is filed, together with a statement of any and all changes in holdings since the date of the previous submission, shall be accepted.
(c) The authorized officer shall not issue a lease until 30 days after the Attorney General receives the notice and statement of the successful bidder's coal holdings, or the Attorney General notifies the Director that lease issuance would not create or maintain a situation inconsistent with the antitrust laws, whichever comes first. The Attorney General shall inform the successful bidders and simultaneously, the authorized officer, if the successful bidder's statement of coal holdings is incomplete or inadequate, and shall specify what information is required for the Attorney General to complete his review. The 30 day period shall stop running on the date of such notification and not resume running until the Attorney General receives the supplemental information.
(d) The authorized officer shall not issue the lease to the successful bidder, if, during the 30 day period, the Attorney General notifies the Director that the lease issuance would create or maintain a situation inconsistent with antitrust law, except after complying with paragraph (e)(2) of this section.
(e) If the Attorney General notifies the Director that a lease should not be issued, the authorized officer may:
(1) Reject all bids or many notify the Attorney General in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section that issuance of the proposed lease to the next qualified high bidder is under consideration; or
(2) Issue the lease if, after a public hearing is conducted on the record in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, the authorized officer determines that:
(i) Issuance of the lease is necessary to carry out the purposes of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976;
(ii) Issuance of the lease is consistent with the public interest; and
(iii) There are no reasonable alternatives to the issuance of the lease consistent with the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, the anti-trust laws, and the public interest.
(f) If the Attorney General does not reply in writing to the notification in paragraph (a) of this section within 30 days, the authorized officer may issue a lease without waiting for the advice of the Attorney General.
(g) Information submitted to the authorized officer to comply with this section shall be treated as confidential and proprietary data if marked “confidential” by the reporting company. Confidential information shall be submitted to the authorized officer in a sealed envelope and shall be transmitted in that form to the Attorney General.
§ 3422.4   Award of lease.
(a) After the authorized officer has accepted a high qualified bid, and the Attorney General has not objected to lease issuance or the procedures in § 3422.3-4(e)(2) of this title have been completed, the authorized officer shall send 4 copies of the lease form to the successful bidder. The successful bidder shall complete, sign and return these forms and shall: pay the balance of the bonus bid, if required; pay the first year's rental; pay the proportionate share of the cost of publishing the notice of sale; and file a lease bond. Upon receipt of the above, the authorized officer shall execute the lease.
(b) If the successful bidder dies before the lease is issued, the provisions of § 3472.2-4 of this title shall apply.
(c) At least half of the acreage offered for competitive lease in any 1 year shall be offered on a deferred bonus payment basis. In a deferred bonus payment, the lessee shall pay the bonus in 5 equal installments; the first installment shall be submitted with the bid. The balance shall be paid in equal annual installments due and payable on the next 4 anniversary dates of the lease. If a lease is relinquished or otherwise cancelled or terminated, the unpaid remainder of the bid shall be immediately payable to the United States.
(d) If the successful bidder fails to comply with any requirement of paragraph (a) of this section or of § 3422.3-4 of this title, the deposit on the successful bid shall be forfeited to the United States.
(e) If the lease cannot be awarded for reasons determined by the authorized officer to be beyond the control of the successful bidder, the deposit submitted with the bid shall be refunded.
§ 3425.0-1   Purpose.
§ 3425.0-2   Objective.
The objective of this subpart is to provide an application process through which the Department may consider holding lease sales apart from the competitive leasing process set out in §§ 3420.3 through 3420.5-2 of this title, where an emergency need for unleased coal deposits is demonstrated, or in areas outside coal production regions or outside eastern activity planning areas.
§ 3425.1   Application for lease.
§ 3425.1-1   Where filed.
Application for a lease covering lands subject to leasing (43 CFR 3400.2) shall be filed in the Bureau of Land Management State Office having jurisdiction over the lands or minerals involved (43 CFR subpart 1821).
§ 3425.1-2   Contents of application.
No specific form of application is required. Three copies of the application, including preliminary and other data required by this subpart shall be filed. The lands applied for shall be described in accordance with subpart 3471 of this title. The application must be accompanied by the filing fee (43 CFR 3473.2).
§ 3425.1-3   Qualifications of the applicant.
Any applicant for a lease shall meet the qualifications required of a lessee as specified in subpart 3472 of this title.
§ 3425.1-4   Emergency leasing.
(a) An emergency lease sale may be held in response to an application under this subpart if the applicant shows:
(1) That the coal reserves applied for shall be mined as part of a mining operation that is producing coal on the date of the application, and either:
(i) The Federal coal is needed within 3 years (A) to maintain an existing mining operation at its current average annual level of production on the date of application or (B) to supply coal for contracts signed prior to July 19, 1979, as substantiated by a complete copy of the supply or delivery contract, or both; or
(ii) If the coal deposits are not leased, they would be bypassed in the reasonably foreseeable future, and if leased, some portion of the tract applied for would be used within 3 years; and
(2) That the need for the coal deposits shall have resulted from circumstances that were either beyond the control of the applicant or could not have been reasonably foreseen and planned for in time to allow for consideration of leasing the tract under the provisions of § 3420.3 of this title.
(b) The extent of any lease issued under this section shall not exceed 8 years of recoverable reserves at the rate of production under which the applicant qualified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. If the applicant qualifies under both paragraphs (a)(1) (A) and (B) of this section, the higher rate applies.
(c) The authorized officer shall provide the Governor of the affected State(s) a notice of an emergency lease application when it is filed with the Bureau of Land Management.
§ 3425.1-5   Leasing outside coal production regions.
A lease sale may be held in response to an application under this subpart if the application covers coal deposits which are outside coal production regions identified under § 3400.5 of this title.
§ 3425.1-6   Hardship leases.
The Secretary may issue a lease under this subpart based on any application listed by serial number in the modified court order in NRDC v. Hughes, 454 F. Supp. 148 (D.D.C. 1978).
§ 3425.1-7   Preliminary data.
(a) Any application for a lease shall contain preliminary data to assist the authorized officer in conducting an environmental analysis as described in § 3425.3 of this title.
(b) Such preliminary data shall include:
(1) A map, or maps, showing the topography, physical features and natural drainage patterns, existing roads, vehicular trails, and utility systems; the location of any proposed exploration operations, including seismic lines and drill holes; to the extent known, the location of any proposed mining operations and facilities, trenches, access roads or trails, and supporting facilities including the approximate location and extent of the areas to be used for pits, overburden, and tailings; and the location of water sources or other resources that may be used in the proposed operations and facilities.
(2) A narrative statement, including:
(i) The anticipated scope, method, and schedule of exploration operations, including the types of exploration equipment to be used;
(ii) The method of mining anticipated, including the best estimate of the mining sequence and production rate to be followed;
(iii) The relationship between the mining operations anticipated on the lands applied for and existing or planned mining operations, or support facilities on adjacent Federal or non-Federal lands;
(iv) A brief description, including maps or aerial photographs, as appropriate, of: The existing land use or uses within and adjacent to the lands applied for; known geologic, visual, cultural, paleontological or archaeological features; wetlands and floodplains; and known habitat of fish and wildlife—particularly threatened and endangered species—any of which may be affected by the proposed or anticipated exploration or mining operations and related facilities;
(v) A brief description of the proposed measures to be taken to control or prevent fire and to mitigate or prevent soil erosion, pollution of surface and ground water, damage to fish and wildlife or other natural resources, air and noise pollution, adverse impacts to the social and infrastructure systems of local communities, and hazards to public health and safety; reclaim the surface; and meet other applicable laws and regulations. The applicant may submit other pertinent information that the applicant wishes to have considered by the authorized officer;
(vi) A statement which describes the intended use of the coal covered by the emergency application; and
(vii) Any other information which will show that the application meets the requirements of this subpart.
(c) The applicant may engage in casual use of the land in the application, but shall not undertake any exploration without prior authorization by exploration license, or undertake any mining operations until lease issuance.
(d) The authorized officer, after reviewing the preliminary data contained in an application, and at any time during an environmental assessment may request additional information from the applicant. Where the surface of the land is held by a qualified surface owner (§ 3400.0-5) and the mining method to be used is other than underground mining techniques, the authorized officer shall obtain documents necessary to show ownership of the surface. The applicant shall submit evidence of written consent from any qualified surface owner(s). (In accordance with subpart 3427 of this title).
§ 3425.1-8   Rejection of applications.
(a) An application for a lease shall be rejected in total or in part if the authorized officer determines that: (1) The application is not consistent with the applicable regulations; (2) issuance of the lease would compromise the regional leasing process described in § 3420.3 of this title; or (3) leasing of the lands covered by the application, for environmental or other sufficient reasons, would be contrary to the public interest.
(b) Any application subject to rejection under paragraph (a) of this section shall not be rejected until the applicant is given written notice of the opportunity to provide requested missing information and fails to do so within the time specified in the decision issued for that purpose.
(c) The authorized officer shall transmit reasonable notice of the rejection of an emergency lease application to the Governor of the affected State(s).
§ 3425.1-9   Modification of application area.
The authorized officer may add or delete lands from an area covered by an application for any reason he/she determines to be in the public interest. If an environmental assessment of the modification is required, BLM will solicit and consider public comments on the modified application.
§ 3425.2   Land use plans.
No lease shall be offered for sale under this subpart unless the lands have been included in a comprehensive land use plan or a land use analysis, as required in § 3420.1-4 of this title. The decision to hold a lease sale shall be consistent with the appropriate comprehensive land use plan or land use analysis.
§ 3425.3   Environmental analysis.
(a) Before a lease sale may be held under this subpart, the authorized officer shall prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement of the proposed lease area in accordance with 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508. BLM will publish a notice in the Federal Register, and at least once per week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of the sale, announcing the availability of the environmental assessment or draft environmental impact statement and the hearing required by § 3425.4(a)(1). BLM also will mail to the surface owner a notice of any lands to be offered for sale and to any person who has requested notice of sales in the area.
(b) For lease applications involving lands in the National Forest System, the authorized officer shall submit the lease application to the Secretary of Agriculture for consent, for completion or consideration of an environmental assessment and for the attachment of appropriate lease stipulations, and for the making of any other findings prerequisite to lease issuance. (43 CFR 3400.3, 3461.1(a))
§ 3425.4   Consultation and sale procedures.
(a)(1) Prior to holding any lease sale in response to any application under this subpart, a public hearing shall be held on the environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, the proposed sale and the fair market value and maximum economic recovery on the proposed lease tract.
(2) Prior to holding any lease sale under this subpart, the Secretary shall consult with the entities and individuals listed in §§ 3420.4-2 through 3420.4-5 of this title.
(b) Subpart 3422 of this title applies in full to any sale to be held in response to an application filed under this subpart.
§ 3425.5   Lease terms.
The terms of a lease issued under this subpart shall be consistent with the terms established for all competitive coal leases (43 CFR part 3470).
§ 3427.0-1   Purpose.
The purpose of this subpart is to set out the protection that shall be afforded qualified surface owners of split estate lands (43 CFR 3400.0-5) and the requirements for submission of evidence of written surface owner consent from qualified surface owners of split estate lands.
§ 3427.0-3   Authority.
(a) These regulations are issued under the authority of the statutes cited in § 3400.0-3 of this title.
(b) These regulations primarily implement section 714 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1304), as construed in Solicitor's Opinion M-36909, 86 I.D. 28 (1979).
§ 3427.0-7   Scope.
The surface owner consent provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act do not apply:
(a) To preference right lease applications; and
(b) If the split estate coal is to be mined by underground mining techniques (43 CFR 3500.0-5).
§ 3427.1   Deposits subject to consent.
On split estate lands (43 CFR 3400.0-5(kk)) where the surface is owned by a qualified surface owner, coal deposits that will be mined by other than underground mining techniques shall not be included in a lease sale without evidence of written consent from the qualified surface owner (43 CFR 3400.0-5(gg)) allowing entry and commencement of surface mining operations.
§ 3427.2   Procedures.
(a)(1) Each written consent or evidence of written consent shall be filed with the appropriate Bureau of Land Management State office (43 CFR subpart 1821). For lands offered for lease sale pursuant to subpart 3420 of this title, consents or written evidence thereof shall be filed on or before a date prior to the lease sale specified in a notice published in the Federal Register. For lands offered for lease sale pursuant to subpart 3425 of this title, consents or written evidence thereof shall be filed prior to the posting of the lease sale notice.
(2) Statement of refusal to consent shall be filed with the appropriate Bureau of Land Management State Office, but such statement shall be accepted for filing only during activity planning.
(b) Written consent, evidence of written consent, or statement of refusal to consent may be filed by any private person or persons with a potential interest in the lease sale of split estate lands.
(c) Such filing shall, at a minimum, contain the present legal address of the qualified surface owner, and the name, ownership, interest, if any, and legal address of the party making the filing, and if it is a written consent or evidence thereof, a copy of the written consent or evidence thereof.
(d) The authorized officer shall verify that the written consent or evidence of such consent meets all of the following requirements, and that the statement of refusal to consent meets the requirements of paragraphs (d)(2) and (3) of this section:
(1) The right to enter and commence mining is transferable to whoever makes the successful bid in a lease sale for a tract which includes the lands to which the consent applies. A written consent shall be considered transferable only if it provides that after the lease sale for the tract to which the consent applies:
(i) The successful bidder shall assume all rights and obligations of the holder of the consent, including the obligation to make all payments to the grantor of the consent and to reimburse the holder of the consent for all money previously paid to the grantor under the consent contract; and
(ii) Neither the holder nor the grantor of the consent has any right under the consent contract to prevent the successful bidder from assuming the rights and obligations of the holder of the consent by imposing additional costs or conditions or otherwise;
(2) The named surface owner is a qualified surface owner as defined in § 3400.0-5(gg) of this title; and
(3) The title for all split estate lands described in the filing is held by the named qualified surface owners.
(e) Upon receipt of a filing from anyone other than the named qualified surface owner, the authorized officer shall contact the named qualified surface owner and request his confirmation in writing that the filed, written consent or evidence thereof to enter and commence mining has been granted, and that the filing fully discloses all of the terms of the written consent, or that the refusal to consent is accurate.
(f) The applicable conditions of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section shall be met prior to the lease sale for lands to which the consents apply.
(g) The authorized officer shall in all cases notify the person or persons filing the written consent, evidence of written consent, or statement of refusal to consent of the results of the review of the filing, including any request for additional information needed to satisfy the requirements of this subpart in cases where insufficient information was supplied with the original filing.
(h) The purchase price of any applicable written consent from a qualified surface owner submitted and verified prior to posting of the notice of lease sale shall be included with the description of the tract(s) in the notice of lease sale, and the other terms of the consent shall be included in the detailed statement of the sale for the tract(s). Any consent filed after posting of the notice of lease sale shall be placed in the official file for the lease tract(s) to which the consent applies and shall be available for inspection by the public in the appropriate Bureau of Land Management State office (43 CFR subpart 1821).
(i) Any statement of refusal to consent shall be treated as controlling until the activity planning cycle that includes the area covered by the refusal to consent is repeated or the surface estate is sold. When an activity planning cycle is initiated, the qualified surface owner shall be notified that his/her prior statement of refusal has expired and shall be given the opportunity to submit another statement.
(j) If the surface owner fails to provide evidence of qualifications in response to surface owner consultation or to a written request for such evidence, and if the authorized officer is unable to independently determine whether or not the surface owner is qualified, the authorized officer shall presume that the surface owner is unqualified. The authorized officer shall notify the surface owner in writing of this determination and shall provide the surface owner an opportunity to appeal the determination.
(k) Any surface owner determined to be unqualified by decision of the field official of the surface management agency shall have 30 days from the date of receipt of such decision in which he/she may appeal the decision to the appropriate State Director of the Bureau of Land Management. The surface owner shall have the right to appeal the State Director's decision to the Director, Bureau of Land Management, within 30 days of receipt of that decision. Both appeals under this paragraph shall be in writing. As an exception to the provisions of § 3000.4 of this title, the decision of the Director shall be the final administrative action of the Department of the Interior.
§ 3427.3   Validation of information.
Any person submitting a written consent shall include with his filing a statement that the evidence submitted, to the best of his knowledge, represents a true, accurate, and complete statement of information regarding the consent for the area described.
§ 3427.4   Pre-existing consents.
An otherwise valid written consent given by a qualified surface owner prior to August 3, 1977, shall not be required to meet the transferability of § 3427.2(d)(1) of this title.
§ 3427.5   Unqualified surface owners.
(a) Lease tracts involving surface owners who are not qualified (see § 3400.0-5(gg)) shall be leased subject to the protections afforded the surface owner by the statute(s) under which the surface was patented and the coal reserved to the United States. No consent from an unqualified surface owner is required under this subpart before the authorized officer may issue a lease for such a tract (see section 9 of the Stock-Raising Homestead Act (43 U.S.C. 249); the Act of March 3, 1909 (30 U.S.C. 81); section 3 of the Act of June 22, 1910 (30 U.S.C. 85); and section 5 of the Act of June 21, 1949 (30 U.S.C. 54)).
(b) The provisions of §§ 3427.1 through 3427.4 of this title are inapplicable to any lease tract on which a consent has been given by an unqualified surface owner. The high bidder at the sale of such a tract is not required to submit any evidence of written consent before the authorized officer may issue the lease unless the statute establishing the relative rights of the United States (and its lessees) and the surface owner so requires.