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### §203. Additional contiguous or cornering lands allowed lessees; application of production or mining plan requirements and minimum royalty provisions

Any person, association, or corporation holding a lease of coal lands or coal deposits under the provisions of this chapter may with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, upon a finding by him that it would be in the interest of the United States, secure modifications of the original coal lease by including additional coal lands or coal deposits contiguous or cornering to those embraced in such lease, but in no event shall the total area added by such modifications to an existing coal lease exceed one hundred sixty acres, or add acreage larger than that in the original lease. The Secretary shall prescribe terms and conditions which shall be consistent with this chapter and applicable to all of the acreage in such modified lease except that nothing in this section shall require the Secretary to apply the production or mining plan requirements of sections 202a(2) and 207(c) of this title. The minimum royalty provisions of section 207(a) of this title shall not apply to any lands covered by this modified lease prior to a modification until the term of the original lease or extension thereof which became effective prior to the effective date of this Act has expired.

(Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, §3, 41 Stat. 439; Pub. L. 94–377, §13(b), Aug. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1090; Pub. L. 95–554, §3, Oct. 30, 1978, 92 Stat. 2074.)

#### References in Text

Sections 202a(2) and 207(c) of this title, referred to in text, was in the original “section 2(d)(2) and 7(c) of this Act (30 U.S.C. 201(d)(2) and 207(c))”, but was translated as sections 202a(2) and 207(c) of this title as the probable intent of Congress.

The effective date of this Act, referred to in text, probably means the date of enactment of Pub. L. 95–554, which was approved Oct. 30, 1978.

#### Amendments

1978—Pub. L. 95–554 authorized modification of leases to include coal lands or coal deposits cornering to those embraced in the leases and inserted provision respecting application of production or mining plan requirements of sections 202a(2) and 207(c) and minimum royalty provisions of section 207(a) of this title.

1976—Pub. L. 94–377 struck out the advantage to the lessee as one of the conditions for modification of the original lease, substituted provision prohibiting the addition of total area in excess of 160 acres or adding acreage larger than that in the original lease for provision limiting the total area embraced in such modified lease to an aggregate of 2560 acres, and inserted provision authorizing the Secretary to prescribe terms and conditions consistent with this chapter which shall be applicable to the total acreage in the modified lease.

#### Savings Provision

Section 13(b) of Pub. L. 94–377 provided that the amendment made by that section is subject to valid existing rights.

#### Cross References

Surrender of leases, see section 188a of this title.

#### Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 208, 1272 of this title; title 10 sections 7421, 7435; title 16 section 460*ll*–3.