Title 25
SECTION 211.20
211.20 Leasing procedures.
§ 211.20 Leasing procedures.(a) Indian mineral owners may, with the approval of the superintendent or area director, lease their land for mining purposes. No oil and gas lease shall be approved unless it has first been offered for bidding at an advertised lease sale in accordance with this section. Leases for minerals other than oil and gas shall be advertised for bids as prescribed in this section unless the Secretary grants the Indian mineral owners written permission to negotiate for lease. Application for leases shall be made to the superintendent having jurisdiction over the lands.
(b) Indian mineral owners may request that the Secretary prepare and advertise or negotiate (if the requirements of this section have been met) mineral leases on their behalf. If requested by an applicant interested in acquiring rights to Indian-owned minerals, the Secretary shall promptly notify the Indian mineral owner, and advise the owner in writing of the alternatives available, including the right to decline to lease. If the Indian mineral owner decides to have the leases advertised, the Secretary shall consult with the Indian mineral owner concerning the appropriate royalty rate and rental. The Secretary may then undertake the responsibility to advertise and lease in accordance with the following procedures:
(1) Leases shall be advertised to receive optimum competition for bonus consideration, under sealed bid, oral auction, or a combination of both. Notice of such advertisement shall be published in at least one local newspaper and in one trade publication at least thirty (30) days in advance of sale. If applicable, such notice must identify the reservation within which the tracts to be leased are found. No specific description of the tracts to be leased need be published. Specific description of such tracts shall be available at the office of the superintendent and/or area director upon request. The complete text of the advertisement, including a specific description, shall be mailed to each person listed on the appropriate agency or area mailing list. Individuals and companies interested in receiving advertisements of lease sales should send their mailing information to the appropriate superintendent or area director for future reference.
(2) The advertisement shall offer the tracts to the responsible bidder offering the highest bonus. The Secretary, after consultation with the Indian mineral owner, shall establish the rental and royalty rates which shall be stated in the advertisement and shall not be subject to negotiation. The advertisement shall provide that the Secretary reserves the right to reject any or all bids, and that acceptance of the lease bid by the Indian mineral owner is required.
(3) Each sealed bid must be accompanied by a cashier's check, certified check or postal money order, or any combination thereof, payable to the payee designated in the advertisement, in an amount not less than 25 percent of the bonus bid, which shall be returned if that bid is not accepted.
(4) A successful oral auction bidder will be allowed five (5) working days to remit the required 25 percent deposit of the bonus bid.
(5) A successful bidder shall, within thirty (30) days after notification of the bid award, remit to the Secretary the balance of the bonus, the first year's rental, a $75 filing fee, its prorated share of the advertising costs as determined by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and file with the Secretary all required bonds. The successful bidder shall also file the lease in completed form at that time. However, for good reasons, the Secretary may grant extensions of time in thirty (30) day increments for filing of the lease and all required bonds, provided that additional extension requests are submitted and approved prior to the expiration of the original thirty (30) days or the previously granted extension. Failure on the part of the bidder to take all reasonable actions necessary to comply with the foregoing shall result in forfeiture of the required payment of 25 percent of any bonus bid for the use and benefit of the Indian mineral owner.
(6) If no satisfactory bid is received, or if the accepted bidder fails to complete all requirements necessary for the approval of the lease, or if the Secretary determines that it is not in the best interest of the Indian mineral owner to accept any of the bids the Secretary may re-advertise the lease for sale, or, subject to the consent of the Indian mineral owner, the lease may be let through private negotiations.
(c) The Secretary shall advise the Indian mineral owner of the results of the bidding, and shall not approve the lease until the consent of the Indian mineral owner has been obtained.
(d) The Indian mineral owner may also submit negotiated leases to the Secretary for review and approval.