§ 203. — Additional contiguous or cornering lands allowed lessees; application of production or mining plan requirements and minimum royalty provisions.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 30USC203]
TITLE 30--MINERAL LANDS AND MINING
CHAPTER 3A--LEASES AND PROSPECTING PERMITS
SUBCHAPTER II--COAL
Sec. 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, Sec. 3, 41 Stat. 439; Pub. L. 94-377,
Sec. 13(b), Aug. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1090; Pub. L. 95-554, Sec. 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.
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 460ll-3.
