Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73

§410e Acquisition of additional lands; reservation of oil, gas, and mineral rights; reservation of royalty rights

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER LIV— - EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK › § 410e

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can buy or otherwise get land inside the boundary shown in deed number 19035 (executed December 28, 1944, and accepted March 14, 1947) for Everglades National Park using available funds. Landowners may choose to keep certain rights instead of giving them up. Owners (the landowners and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or assigns) may keep two things. First, they may keep all oil, gas, and mineral rights, including the ability to lease, explore for, produce, store, and remove those resources, until October 9, 1958. If commercial production of oil, gas, or other minerals starts anywhere inside that boundary on or before that date, this right automatically continues for all owners as long as production keeps going. Owners and their workers, agents, or lessees may enter and leave the land as needed. Second, after the first right ends, owners may keep the right to the usual royalty payments in effect when production happens for any minerals produced from the land before January 1, 1985, if the Federal Government or its assigns ever allow production.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §410e

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In order to consolidate the Federal ownership of lands within the boundary set forth in deed numbered 19035 executed December 28, 1944, by the trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund of the State of Florida, and accepted by the Secretary of the Interior on March 14, 1947, for Everglades National Park purposes, the said Secretary is authorized, within the aforesaid boundary and with any funds made available for that purpose, to procure lands or interests therein by purchase or otherwise, subject, however, to the right of retention by owners of lands, interests in lands, interests in oil, gas, and mineral rights, or royalties, their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or assigns (hereinafter referred to as “owners”), at their election, of the following:

(1)The reservation until October 9, 1958, of all oil, gas, and mineral rights or interests, including the right to lease, explore for, produce, store, and remove oil, gas, and other minerals from such lands: Provided, That if on or before said date, oil, gas, or other minerals are being produced in commercial quantities anywhere within the boundary set forth in aforesaid deed numbered 19035, then in that event the time of the reservation as set forth in this subsection shall automatically extend for all owners, regardless of whether such production is from land in which such owners have an interest, for so long as oil, gas, or other minerals are produced in commercial quantities anywhere within said boundary. To exercise this reservation, the owners, their lessees, agents, employees, and assigns shall have such right of ingress and egress to and from such lands as may be necessary; and

(2)After the termination of the reserved rights of owners as set forth in subsection (1) hereof, a further reservation of the right to customary royalties, applying at the time of production, in any oil, gas, or other minerals which may be produced from such lands at any time before January 1, 1985, should production ever be authorized by the Federal Government or its assigns.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 410e

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73