Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 60 Part 1.djvu/982

 60 STAT.] 79TH CONG., 2n SESS.-CH. 916-AUG. 8, 1946 the prior approval of the Secretary of the Interior, and no person, association, or corporation shall hold at one time such options of more than one hundred thousand acres in any one State: Provided, however, That nothing in this section shall be construed to invalidate options taken prior to June 1, 1946, and on which such geological or geophysical exploration has been actually made, and which are exer- cised within two years after the passage of this Act. Each holder of any such option shall file with the Secretary within ninety days after the 30th day of June and the 31st day of December in each year a statement under oath showing as of said dates (1) name of optionor and serial number of lease or application for lease, (2) date and expiration date of each option, (3) number of acres covered by each option, and (4) aggregate number of options held in each State and total acreage subject to said options in each State. If any interest in any lease is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by means of stock or otherwise, in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, the lease may be canceled, or the interest so owned may be forfeited, or the person so owning or controlling the interest may be compelled to dispose of the interest, in any appropriate proceeding instituted by the Attorney General. Such a proceeding shall be insti- tuted in the United States district court for the district in which the leased property or some part thereof is located or in which the lease owner may be found, except that any ownership or interest forbidden in this Act which may be acquired by descent, will, judg- ment, or decree may be held for two years and not longer after its acquisition. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to limit sections 18, 18a, 19 and 22 or to prevent any number of lessees under the provisions of this Act from combining their several interests so far as may be necessary for the purposes of constructing and carrying on the business of a refinery, or of establishing and constructing as a common carrier a pipe line or lines of railroads to be operated and used by them jointly in the transportation of oil from their several wells, or from the wells of other lessees under this Act, or the trans- portation of coal or to increase the acreage which may be acquired or held under section 17 of this Act: Provided,That any combination for such purpose or purposes shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior on application to him for permission to form the same. Except as in this Act provided, if any of the lands or deposits leased under the provisions of this Act shall be subleased, trusteed, possessed, or controlled by any device permanently, tem- porarily, directly, indirectly, tacitly, or in any manner whatsoever, so that they form a part of or are in anywise controlled by any com- bination in the form of an unlawful trust, with the consent of the lessee, or form the subject of any contract or conspiracy in restraint of trade in the mining or selling of coal, phosphate, oil, oil shale, gas, or sodium entered into by the lessee, or any agreement or under- standing, written, verbal, or otherwise, to which such lessee shall be a party, of which his or its output is to be or become the subject, to control the price or prices thereof or of any holding of such lands by any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or control in excess of the amounts of lands provided in this Act, the lease thereof shall be forfeited by appropriate court proceedings." SEC. 7 . The Act is hereby amended by adding a new section to read as follows: "SEC. 30. (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in sec- tion 30 hereof, any oil or gas lease issued under the authority of this Act may be assigned or subleased, as to all or part of the acreage included therein, subject to final approval by the Secretary and as to either a divided or undivided interest therein, to any person or persons 955 Options prior to June 1, 1946. Semiannual state- ments. Cancellation of lease, etc. Proceeding. Forbidden interest acquired by descent, etc. Combining of in- terests. 41 Stat. 443 -44, 446. 30 U. S. C. OI227, 228, 251. Ant, p. 98. Leased lands form- ing part of unlawful trust, eto. Asignment or sub- lease of oil or gas lese. 41 Stat. 449. 30 U. 8. 0. t187. Post.p ~57.

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