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PUBLIC LAW 88-526-AUG. 31, 1964

[78 STAT.

Public Law 88-526 August 31, 1964 [H. R. 8960]

Mineral L e a s ing Act, amendment. 74 Stat. 785.

62 Stat. 289,

Collective prospecting.

Maximum holdings, exceptions.

AN ACT To amend section 27 of the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended, in order, to promote the development of coal on the public domain and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That subsection (a) (1) of section 27 of the Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 184), is further amended to read as follows: " (a)(1) No person, association, or corporation shall take, hold, own, or control at one time, whether acquired directly from the Secretary under this Act or otherwise, coal leases or permits on an aggregate of more than forty-six thousand and eighty acres in any one State." SEC. 2. (a) Subsection (a) of section 2 of the Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 201(a)), is further amended by the deletion from the first sentence of the words "but in no case exceeding two thousand five hundred and sixty acres in any one leasing tract.". (b) Subsection (b) of section 2 of the Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 201(b)), is further amended by changing the words "two thousand five hundred and sixty acres" in the first sentence thereof to "five thousand one hundred and twenty acres". (c) For the purpose of more properly conserving the natural resources of any coalfield or prospective coal area, or any part or zone thereof, lessees and permittees and their representatives may enter into a contract with each other or others for collective prospecting, development, or operation of such field or prospective coal area, or any part or zone thereof, whenever determined and certified by the Secretary of the Interior to be in the public interest. A contract approved hereunder shall not provide for an apportionment of production or royalties among the separate tracts comprising the contract area, but may provide for the cormningling of production with appropriate allocation to the tracts from which produced. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the Secretary may, with the consent of the lessees or permittees involved, establish, alter, change, or revoke mining, producing, rental, minimum royalty, and royalty requirements of such leases or permits, and issue regulations that are applicable to such leases or permits or contracts. The Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract with a single lessee or permittee embracing his leases or permits. The Secretary may authorize the consolidation of separate Federal permits or leases into a lesser number of permits or leases, or into a single permit or lease. (d) Coal leases and permits operated under a contract approved or executed by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (c) of this section may be excepted from limitations on maximum holdings or control imposed by this Act if the Secretary finds that such exception is required to permit economic development of the coal resources and is otherwise consistent with the public interest. Approved August 31, 1964.

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