1995 U.S. Code
Title 30 - MINERAL LANDS AND MINING
CHAPTER 29 - OIL AND GAS ROYALTY MANAGEMENT
Sec. 1702 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the term—

(1) “Federal land” means all land and interests in land owned by the United States which are subject to the mineral leasing laws, including mineral resources or mineral estates reserved to the United States in the conveyance of a surface or nonmineral estate;

(2) “Indian allottee” means any Indian for whom land or an interest in land is held in trust by the United States or who holds title subject to Federal restriction against alienation;

(3) “Indian lands” means any lands or interest in lands of an Indian tribe or an Indian allottee held in trust by the United States or which is subject to Federal restriction against alienation or which is administered by the United States pursuant to section 1613(g) of title 43, including mineral resources and mineral estates reserved to an Indian tribe or an Indian allottee in the conveyance of a surface or nonmineral estate, except that such term does not include any lands subject to the provisions of section 3 of the Act of June 28, 1906 (34 Stat. 539);

(4) “Indian tribe” means any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other group of Indians, including the Metlakatla Indian Community of Annette Island Reserve, for which any land or interest in land is held by the United States in trust or which is subject to Federal restriction against alienation or which is administered by the United States pursuant to section 1613(g) of title 43;

(5) “lease” means any contract, profit-share arrangement, joint venture, or other agreement issued or approved by the United States under a mineral leasing law that authorizes exploration for, extraction of, or removal of oil or gas;

(6) “lease site” means any lands or submerged lands, including the surface of a severed mineral estate, on which exploration for, or extraction or removal of, oil or gas is authorized pursuant to a lease;

(7) “lessee” means any person to whom the United States, an Indian tribe, or an Indian allottee, issues a lease, or any person who has been assigned an obligation to make royalty or other payments required by the lease;

(8) “mineral leasing law” means any Federal law administered by the Secretary authorizing the disposition under lease of oil or gas;

(9) “oil or gas” means any oil or gas originating from, or allocated to, the Outer Continental Shelf, Federal, or Indian lands;

(10) “Outer Continental Shelf” has the same meaning as provided in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (Public Law 95–372);

(11) “operator” means any person, including a lessee, who has control of, or who manages operations on, an oil and gas lease site on Federal or Indian lands or on the Outer Continental Shelf;

(12) “person” means any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium, or joint venture;

(13) “production” means those activities which take place for the removal of oil or gas, including such removal, field operations, transfer of oil or gas off the lease site, operation monitoring, maintenance, and workover drilling;

(14) “royalty” means any payment based on the value or volume of production which is due to the United States or an Indian tribe or an Indian allottee on production of oil or gas from the Outer Continental Shelf, Federal, or Indian lands, or any minimum royalty owed to the United States or an Indian tribe or an Indian allottee under any provision of a lease;

(15) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior or his designee; and

(16) “State” means the several States of the Union, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the territories and possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

(Pub. L. 97–451, §3, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2448; Pub. L. 92–203, §29(f)(1), as added Pub. L. 100–241, §15, Feb. 3, 1988, 101 Stat. 1813.)

Section 3 of the Act of June 28, 1906 (34 Stat. 539), referred to in par. (3), is not classified to the Code.

“Outer Continental Shelf” as provided in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (Public Law 95–372), referred to in par. (10), is defined in section 1331(a) of Title 43, Public Lands.

1988—Pars. (3), (4). Pub. L. 92–203 inserted “or which is administered by the United States pursuant to section 1613(g) of title 43” after “alienation”.

Section 29(f)(2) of Pub. L. 92–203, as added by Pub. L. 100–241, §15, Feb. 3, 1988, 101 Stat. 1813, provided that: “The amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall be effective as if originally included in section 3 of Public Law 97–451 [this section].”

For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.