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Title 25

Displaying title 25, up to date as of 10/06/2026. Title 25 was last amended 12/01/2025.
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How To Acquire Leases

§ 227.2 Applications for leases.

Applications for leases should be made to the superintendent.

§ 227.3 Leases to citizens of the United States except Government employees.

Leases will be made only to persons who are citizens of the United States or have declared their intention to become so, or corporations which are organized under the laws of the United States or one of the States or Territories: Provided, That no lease, assignment thereof, or interest therein will be approved to any employee or employees of the United States Government, whether connected with the Bureau or otherwise, and no employee of the Interior Department shall be permitted to acquire any interest in such leases by ownership of stock in corporations having leases or in any other manner.

§ 227.4 Sale of oil and gas leases.

(a) At such times and in such manner as he may deem appropriate, after being authorized by the Joint Business Council of the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes or its authorized representative, the superintendent shall publish notices at least thirty days prior to the sale, unless a shorter period is authorized by the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative, that oil and gas leases on specific tracts, each of which shall be in a reasonably compact body, will be offered to the highest responsible bidder for a bonus consideration, in addition to stipulated rentals and royalties. Each bid must be accompanied by a cashier's check, certified check, or postal money order, payable to the payee designated in the invitation to bid, in an amount not less than 25 percent of the bonus bid. Within 30 days after notification of being the successful bidder, said bidder must remit the balance of the bonus, the first year's rental, and his share of the advertising costs, and shall file with the superintendent the lease in completed form. The superintendent may for good and sufficient reasons, extend the time for completion and submission of the lease form, but no extension shall be granted for remitting the balance of monies due. If the successful bidder fails to pay the full consideration within said period, or fails to file the completed lease within said period or extension thereof, or if the lease is disapproved through no fault of the lessor or the Department of the Interior, 25 percent of the bonus bid will be forfeited for the use and benefit of the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes.

(b) All notices or advertisements of sales of oil and gas leases shall reserve to the Secretary of the Interior the right to reject all bids when in his judgment the interests of the Indians will be best served by so doing, and that if no satisfactory bid is received, or if the accepted bidder fails to complete the lease, or if the Secretary of the Interior shall determine that it is unwise in the interests of the Indians to accept the highest bid, the Secretary may readvertise such lease for sale, or if deemed advisable, with the consent of the tribal council or other governing tribal authorities, a lease may be made by private negotiations. The successful bidder or bidders will be required to pay his or their share of the advertising costs. Amounts received from unsuccessful bidders will be returned; but when no bid is accepted on a tract, the costs of advertising will be assessed against the applicant who requested that said tract be advertised.

[22 FR 10622, Dec. 24, 1957, as amended at 25 FR 7185, July 29, 1960. Redesignated at 47 FR 13327, Mar. 30, 1982]

§ 227.5 Terms of leases, procedure for renewal and execution.

(a) Leases shall be for a period of twenty years with the preferential right in the lessee to renew the same for successive periods of ten years each upon such reasonable terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative, unless otherwise provided by law at the expiration of any such period. Applications for renewal of leases shall be filed with the superintendent within ninety days prior to the date of expiration of the lease. One copy of the application for renewal shall be filed by the applicant with the Joint Business Council of the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes and no lease shall be renewed unless the Joint Business Council or its authorized representative is afforded an opportunity to present the Council's views to the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative.

(b) The Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative may execute oil and gas leases with the consent of the Joint Business Council or its authorized representative, and may execute renewals of leases after consultation with the Joint Business Council or its authorized representative.

[25 FR 7185, July 29, 1960. Redesignated at 47 FR 13327, Mar. 30, 1982]

§ 227.6 Corporations and corporate information.

(a) If the applicant for a lease is a corporation, it shall file evidence of authority of its officers to execute papers; and with its first application it shall also file a certified copy of its articles of incorporation, and, if foreign to the state in which the lands are located, evidence showing compliance with the corporation laws thereof. Statements of changes in officers and stockholders shall be furnished by a corporation lessee to the superintendent January 1 of each year, and at such other times as may be requested.

(b) Whenever deemed advisable in any case the superintendent may require a corporation applicant or lessee to file:

(1) List of officers, principal stockholders, and directors, with post-office addresses and number of shares held by each.

(2) A sworn statement of the proper officer showing:

(i) The total number of shares of the capital stock actually issued and the amount of cash paid into the treasury on each share sold; or, if paid in property, the kind, quantity, and value of same paid per share.

(ii) Of the stock sold, how much remains unpaid and subject to assessment.

(iii) The amount of cash the company has in its treasury and elsewhere.

(iv) The property, exclusive of cash owned by the company and its value.

(v) The total indebtedness of the company and the nature of its obligations.

(vi) Whether the applicant or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with the applicant has filed any registration statement, application for registration, prospectus or offering sheet with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or said Commission's rules and regulations under said acts; if so, under what provision of said acts or rules and regulations; and what disposition of any such statement, application, prospectus or offering sheet has been made.

(c) Affidavits of individual stockholders, setting forth in what corporations, or with what persons, firms, or associations such individual stockholders are interested in mining leases on restricted lands within the state, and whether they hold such interest for themselves or in trust.

Cross Reference:

For rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, see 17 CFR chapter II.

§ 227.7 Additional information from applicant.

The superintendent may, either before or after approval of a lease, call for any additional information desired to carry out the regulations in this part. If a lessee shall fail to furnish the papers necessary to put his lease and bond in proper form for consideration, the superintendent shall forward such lease for disapproval.

§ 227.8 Bonds.

The provisions of § 211.6 of this chapter, or as hereafter amended, are applicable to leases under this part.

§ 227.9 Acreage limitation: Leases on noncontiguous tracts.

No person, firm, or corporation will be allowed to lease for oil and gas more than 10,240 acres in the aggregate. The land contained in the lease shall be described by legal subdivisions, and leases may be executed to cover only adjoining or contiguous subdivisions. In case a lessee is a successful bidder for two or more tracts of land which are not contiguous, separate leases shall be executed.

§ 227.10 Minerals other than oil and gas.

Unreserved, unwithdrawn, and unallotted lands which have not been leased for oil and gas under the act of August 21, 1916 (39 Stat. 519) and which are not chiefly valuable therefor, are subject to mineral application or mineral entry, for minerals other than oil and gas, under the supervision of the Bureau of Land Management.

§ 227.11 Bureau of Land Management to be furnished copy of lease.

The Bureau of Land Management shall be furnished with a copy of each lease signed by the Secretary of the Interior.

§ 227.12 Mineral reserves in nonmineral entries.

Where lands have been leased under authority of said act of August 21, 1916 (39 Stat. 519), and nonmineral entry is subsequently lawfully made for such lands with a view to obtaining a restricted patent therefor, all such subsequently allowed nonmineral entries shall be with the mineral reservation prescribed by the act of July 17, 1914 (38 Stat. 509).

§ 227.13 Vested rights to be respected.

All drilling and other oil and natural gas developments and mining operations, work, and improvements, and all other acts and things necessary to be done, in connection with the exploration for mining and production of oil and natural gas from the leased premises, under the terms and conditions of a lease shall be performed with due regard to the rights, statutory and otherwise, of others, if any, who may have or who may acquire a lawful claim or estate to the leased premises, separate and distinct from the oil and gas or other mineral therein contained. See act of July 17, 1914 (38 Stat. 509).

§ 227.14 Government reserves right to purchase oil and gas.

In time of war or other public emergency any of the executive departments of the United States Government shall have the option to purchase at the posted market price on the date of sale all or any part of the minerals produced under any lease.