Page 333 TITLE 30—MINERAL LANDS AND MINING § 1701

Sec.

(a) In general.

(b) Limitation period.

(c) Obligation becomes due.

(d) Tolling of limitation period.

(e) Termination of limitations period.

(f) Records required for determining collections.

(g) Timely collections.

(h) Appeals and final agency action.

(i) Collections of disputed amounts due.

(j) Enforcement of claim for judicial review.

(k) Implementation of final decision.

(l) Stay of payment obligation pending

review.

1725. Assessments.

1726. Alternatives for marginal properties.

(a) Determination of best interests of

State concerned and United States.

(b) Prepayment of royalty.

(c) Alternative accounting and auditing

requirements.

SUBCHAPTER II—STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES

1731. Application of subchapter.

1731a. Application of subchapter to leases of lands

within three miles of seaward boundaries of

coastal States.

1732. Cooperative agreements.

(a) Authorization of Secretary; permission of Indian tribe required for activities on Indian lands.

(b) Access to royalty accounting information.

(c) Agreements in accordance with chapter 63 of title 31; terms and conditions.

1733. Information.

(a) Availability of confidential information by Secretary pursuant to cooperative agreements; conditions.

(b) Nonliability of United States for

wrongful disclosure.

(c) Law governing disclosure.

1734. State suits under Federal law.

(a) Action for royalty, interest, or civil

penalty; limitations; notice of suit;

award of costs and fees.

(b) Venue; jurisdiction of district court.

(c) Recovery of civil penalty by State;

deposit of rent, royalty, or interest

recovery in Treasury of the United

States.

1735. Delegation of royalty collections and related

activities.

(a) Authorization of Secretary.

(b) Prerequisites.

(c) Ruling as to consistency of State’s

proposal.

(d) Promulgation of standards and regulations with respect to delegation.

(e) Revocation; issuance of demand or

order by Secretary.

(f) Compensation to State for costs of

delegation; allocation of costs.

(g) Judicial review.

(h) Existing delegation.

1736. Shared civil penalties.

SUBCHAPTER III—GENERAL PROVISIONS

1751. Secretarial authority.

(a) Prescription of rules and regulations.

(b) Conformity with rulemaking provisions.

(c) Contracts with non-Federal Government inspectors, auditors, etc.; coordination of auditing and enforcement functions.

1752. Reports.

Sec.

(a) Submission of annual report to Congress; contents.

(b) Biennial audit of Federal royalty

management system; submission to

Secretary and Congress.

1753. Relation to other laws.

(a) Supplemental nature of chapter.

(b) Responsibilities of Secretary related

to minerals on Federal and Indian

lands.

(c) Authority and responsibilities of Inspector General and Comptroller

General unaffected.

(d) Lands and land interests entrusted to

Tennessee Valley Authority unaffected.

1754. Funding.

1755. Statute of limitations.

1756. Expanded royalty obligations.

1757. Severability.

CHAPTER REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS

This chapter is referred to in section 191 of this title;

title 10 section 7439.

§ 1701. Congressional statement of findings and

purposes

(a) Congress finds that—

(1) the Secretary of the Interior should enforce effectively and uniformly existing regulations under the mineral leasing laws providing for the inspection of production activities

on lease sites on Federal and Indian lands;

(2) the system of accounting with respect to

royalties and other payments due and owing

on oil and gas produced from such lease sites

is archaic and inadequate;

(3) it is essential that the Secretary initiate

procedures to improve methods of accounting

for such royalties and payments and to provide for routine inspection of activities related

to the production of oil and gas on such lease

sites; and

(4) the Secretary should aggressively carry

out his trust responsibility in the administration of Indian oil and gas.

(b) It is the purpose of this chapter—

(1) to clarify, reaffirm, expand, and define

the responsibilities and obligations of lessees,

operators, and other persons involved in transportation or sale of oil and gas from the Federal and Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf;

(2) to clarify, reaffirm, expand and define the

authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Interior to implement and maintain a royalty management system for oil and

gas leases on Federal lands, Indian lands, and

the Outer Continental Shelf;

(3) to require the development of enforcement practices that ensure the prompt and

proper collection and disbursement of oil and

gas revenues owed to the United States and Indian lessors and those inuring to the benefit of

States;

(4) to fulfill the trust responsibility of the

United States for the administration of Indian

oil and gas resources; and

(5) to effectively utilize the capabilities of

the States and Indian tribes in developing and

maintaining an efficient and effective Federal

royalty management system.