Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73

§1427 Civil actions

Title 30 › Chapter CHAPTER 26— - DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - REGULATION OF EXPLORATION AND COMMERCIAL RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS › § 1427

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Anyone can file a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to ask a judge to stop or fix a violation of this chapter or a permit condition, or to sue the Administrator (the agency head) for failing to do a non-discretionary duty. You must give notice and wait 60 days before suing. If the Administrator or the Attorney General has already started and is actively prosecuting a federal case about the same violation, you may not start your own suit, though people with a direct legal interest may join that government case. A court may order payment of litigation costs, including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees, when it thinks that is proper. This law does not take away any enforcement rights people have under other laws, and its vessel safety and environmental rules are in addition to other legal requirements.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1427

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any person may commence a civil action for equitable relief on that person’s behalf in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia—

(1)against any person who is alleged to be in violation of any provision of this chapter or any condition of a license or permit issued under this subchapter; or

(2)against the Administrator when there is alleged a failure of the Administrator to perform any act or duty under this chapter which is not discretionary,

(b)No civil action may be commenced—

(1)under subsection (a)(1) of this section—

(A)prior to 60 days after the plaintiff has given notice of the alleged violation to the Administrator and to any alleged violator; or

(B)if the Administrator or the Attorney General has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil or criminal action with respect to the alleged violation in a court of the United States; except that in any such civil action, any person having a valid legal interest which is or may be adversely affected by the alleged violation may intervene; or

(2)under subsection (a)(2) of this section, prior to 60 days after the plaintiff has given notice of such action to the Administrator.

(c)The court, in issuing any final order in any action brought under subsection (a) of this section, may award costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees, to any party whenever the court determines that such an award is appropriate.

(d)Nothing in this section shall restrict the rights which any person or class of persons may have under other law to seek enforcement or to seek any other relief. All vessel safety and environmental requirements of or under this chapter shall be in addition to other requirements of law.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1427

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73