Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110
§2102 Minerals Agreements
Title 25 › CHAPTER 23 — DEVELOPMENT OF TRIBAL MINERAL RESOURCES › § 2102
Summary
Indian tribes may make joint ventures, leases, or other agreements to explore, develop, or sell minerals they own—like oil, gas, uranium, coal, or geothermal—but the Secretary must approve those deals and tribal constitutions or charters still apply. Individual Indians who own mineral interests can join a tribal minerals agreement if the other parties agree and the Secretary finds it is in the Indian’s best interest.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §2102
Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Authorization for tribes; approval by Secretary
Any Indian tribe, subject to the approval of the Secretary and any limitation or provision contained in its constitution or charter, may enter into any joint venture, operating, production sharing, service, managerial, lease or other agreement, or any amendment, supplement or other modification of such agreement (hereinafter referred to as a “Minerals Agreement”) providing for the exploration for, or extraction, processing, or other development of, oil, gas, uranium, coal, geothermal, or other energy or nonenergy mineral resources (hereinafter referred to as “mineral resources”) in which such Indian tribe owns a beneficial or restricted interest, or providing for the sale or other disposition of the production or products of such mineral resources.
(b)Inclusion of individual holdings; approval by parties and Secretary
Any Indian owning a beneficial or restricted interest in mineral resources may include such resources in a tribal Minerals Agreement subject to the concurrence of the parties and a finding by the Secretary that such participation is in the best interest of the Indian.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
25 U.S.C. § 2102
Title 25, Indians
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110