Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§459d–3 Reservation of Oil, Gas, and Other Minerals

Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER LXIII — NATIONAL SEASHORE RECREATIONAL AREAS › § 459d–3

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the government buys land or water, the Secretary must allow the seller to keep all or part of the oil, gas, and similar underground minerals and the right to use the surface and nearby land to get them, under rules the Secretary sets. A purchase cannot reduce surface rights from grants, leases, or easements that existed on April 11, 1961, if those rights are reasonably needed to find, produce, store, process, or move oil and gas taken from outside the national seashore. The Secretary may also grant extra surface rights for those uses.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §459d–3

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)When acquiring land, waters, or interests therein, the Secretary shall permit a reservation by the grantor of all or any part of the oil and gas minerals in such land or waters and of other minerals therein which can be removed by similar means, with the right of occupation and use of so much of the surface of the land or waters as may be required for all purposes reasonably incident to the mining or removal of such from beneath the surface of these lands and waters and the lands and waters adjacent thereto, under such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary with respect to such mining or removal.

(b)Any acquisition hereunder shall exclude and shall not diminish any right of occupation or use of the surface under grants, leases, or easements existing on April 11, 1961, which are reasonably necessary for the exploration, development, production, storing, processing, or transporting of oil and gas minerals that are removed from outside the boundaries of the national seashore and the Secretary may grant additional rights of occupation or use of the surface for the purposes aforesaid upon the terms and under such regulations as may be prescribed by him.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 459d–3

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102