Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73
§1701 Congressional statement of findings and purposes
Title 30 › Chapter CHAPTER 29— - OIL AND GAS ROYALTY MANAGEMENT › § 1701
Summary
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to step up enforcement and inspections of oil and gas production on Federal and Indian lands, fix an old and weak system for tracking royalties and payments, start better accounting and routine checks, and actively carry out trust duties for Indian oil and gas. Aims to make clear who is responsible — lessees, operators, and sellers — and to give the Secretary authority to create and run a royalty management system for Federal lands, Indian lands, and the Outer Continental Shelf. It also requires strong enforcement so revenues owed to the United States, Indian lessors, and States are collected and paid correctly, and it calls for using State and tribal help to keep the system efficient.
Full Legal Text
Title 30, §1701
Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Congress finds that—
(1)the Secretary of the Interior should enforce effectively and uniformly existing regulations under the mineral leasing laws providing for the inspection of production activities on lease sites on Federal and Indian lands;
(2)the system of accounting with respect to royalties and other payments due and owing on oil and gas produced from such lease sites is archaic and inadequate;
(3)it is essential that the Secretary initiate procedures to improve methods of accounting for such royalties and payments and to provide for routine inspection of activities related to the production of oil and gas on such lease sites; and
(4)the Secretary should aggressively carry out his trust responsibility in the administration of Indian oil and gas.
(b)It is the purpose of this chapter—
(1)to clarify, reaffirm, expand, and define the responsibilities and obligations of lessees, operators, and other persons involved in transportation or sale of oil and gas from the Federal and Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf;
(2)to clarify, reaffirm, expand and define the authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Interior to implement and maintain a royalty management system for oil and gas leases on Federal lands, Indian lands, and the Outer Continental Shelf;
(3)to require the development of enforcement practices that ensure the prompt and proper collection and disbursement of oil and gas revenues owed to the United States and Indian lessors and those inuring to the benefit of States;
(4)to fulfill the trust responsibility of the United States for the administration of Indian oil and gas resources; and
(5)to effectively utilize the capabilities of the States and Indian tribes in developing and maintaining an efficient and effective Federal royalty management system.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–185, § 11, Aug. 13, 1996, 110 Stat. 1717, provided that: “Except as provided by section 115(h) [30 U.S.C. 1724(h)], section 111(h) [30 U.S.C. 1721(h)], section 111(k)(5) [30 U.S.C. 1721(k)(5)], and section 117 [30 U.S.C. 1726] of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (as added by this Act), this Act [see
Short Title
of 1996 Amendment note below], and the
Amendments
made by this Act, shall apply with respect to the production of oil and gas after the first day of the month following the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 1996].”
Effective Date
Pub. L. 97–451, title III, § 305, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2461, provided that: “The provisions of this Act [enacting this chapter, amending section 188 and 191 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 1714 and 1752 of this title] shall apply to oil and gas leases issued before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 12, 1983], except that in the case of a lease issued before such date, no provision of this Act or any rule or regulation prescribed under this Act shall alter the express and specific provisions of such a lease.”
Short Title
of 2024 Amendment Pub. L. 118–81, § 1, Sept. 20, 2024, 138 Stat. 1520, provided that: “This Act [amending section 1721 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Royalty Resiliency Act’.”
Short Title
of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–185, § 1, Aug. 13, 1996, 110 Stat. 1700, provided that: “This Act [enacting section 1721a and 1724 to 1726 of this title, amending section 1702, 1712, 1721, and 1735 of this title, repealing section 1339 of Title 43, Public Lands, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section, section 1732 of this title, and section 1339 of Title 43] may be cited as the ‘Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996’.”
Short Title
Pub. L. 97–451, § 1, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2447, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter, amending section 188 and 191 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 1714 and 1752 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982’.” Applicability of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–185, § 9, Aug. 13, 1996, 110 Stat. 1717, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this Act [see
Short Title
of 1996 Amendment note above] shall not apply with respect to Indian lands, and the provisions of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 [30 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.] as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 1996] shall continue to apply after such date with respect to Indian lands.” Pub. L. 104–185, § 10, Aug. 13, 1996, 110 Stat. 1717, provided that: “This Act [see
Short Title
of 1996 Amendment note above] shall not apply to any privately owned minerals.”
Construction
of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–185, § 12, Aug. 13, 1996, 110 Stat. 1717, provided that: “Nothing in this Act [see
Short Title
of 1996 Amendment note above] shall be construed to give a State a property right or interest in any Federal lease or land.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
30 U.S.C. § 1701
Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73