§229 Preference right to permits or leases of claimants of lands bona fide entered as agricultural land; terms and conditions

Summary

People who legally entered farmland that was not marked or set aside for minerals, and that was not part of any railroad grant, get first choice for a mineral permit and then a lease if minerals are later found. This applies when the land was later patented but the mineral rights were kept by the government. Buyers only qualify if the sale happened before January 1, 1918. Within an area no larger than a township, those people (or qualifying buyers) can join their parcels, up to 2,560 acres, to apply together. Any lease covering only these kinds of lands must pay a royalty of at least 12.5% for parts of the permit not covered by the permittee’s discovery lease under the law.