Title 30
SECTION 582.15
582.15 Cancellation of leases.
§ 582.15 Cancellation of leases.(a) Whenever the owner of a nonproducing lease fails to comply with any of the provisions of the Act, the lease, or the regulations issued under the Act, and the default continues for a period of 30 days after mailing of notice by registered or certified letter to the lease owner at the owner's record post office address, the Secretary may cancel the lease pursuant to section 5(c) of the Act, and the lessee shall not be entitled to compensation. Any such cancellation is subject to judicial review as provided by section 23(b) of the Act.
(b) Whenever the owner of any producing lease fails to comply with any of the provisions of the Act, the lease, or the regulations issued under the Act, the Secretary may cancel the lease only after judicial proceedings pursuant to section 5(d) of the Act, and the lessee shall not be entitled to compensation.
(c) Any lease issued under the Act, whether producing or not, may be canceled by the Secretary upon proof that it was obtained by fraud or misrepresentation and after notice and opportunity to be heard has been afforded to the lessee.
(d) The Secretary may cancel a lease in accordance with the following:
(1) Cancellation may occur at any time if the Secretary determines after a hearing that:
(i) Continued activity pursuant to such lease would probably cause serious harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral (in areas leased or not leased), to the National security or defense, or to the marine, coastal, or human environment;
(ii) The threat of harm or damage will not disappear or decrease to an acceptable extent within a reasonable period of time; and
(iii) The advantages of cancellation outweigh the advantages of continuing such lease in force.
(2) Cancellation shall not occur unless and until operations under such lease shall have been under suspension or temporary prohibition by the Secretary, with due extension of any lease term continuously for a period of 5 years or for a lesser period upon request of the lessee;
(3) Cancellation shall entitle the lessee to receive such compensation as is shown to the Secretary as being equal to the lesser of:
(i) The fair value of the canceled rights as of the date of cancellation, taking account of both anticipated revenues from the lease and anticipated costs, including costs of compliance with all applicable regulations and operating orders, liability for cleanup costs or damages, or both, and all other costs reasonably anticipated on the lease, or
(ii) The excess, if any, over the lessee's revenue from the lease (plus interest thereon from the date of receipt to date of reimbursement) of all consideration paid for the lease and all direct expenditures made by the lessee after the date of issuance of such lease and in connection with exploration or development, or both, pursuant to the lease (plus interest on such consideration and such expenditures from date of payment to date of reimbursement), except that in the case of joint leases which are canceled due to the failure of one or more partners to exercise due diligence, the innocent parties shall have the right to seek damages for such loss from the responsible party or parties and the right to acquire the interests of the negligent party or parties and be issued the lease in question.
(iii) The lessee shall not be entitled to compensation where one of the following circumstances exists when a lease is canceled:
(A) A producing lease is forfeited or is canceled pursuant to section (5)(d) of the Act;
(B) A Testing Plan or Mining Plan is disapproved because the lessee's failure to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of applicable Federal law; or
(C) The lessee of a nonproducing lease fails to comply with a provision of the Act, the lease, or regulations issued under the Act, and the noncompliance continues for a period of 30 days or more after the mailing of a notice of noncompliance by registered or certified letter to the lessee.