Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73not60
§2102 Minerals Agreements
Title 25 › Chapter 23— DEVELOPMENT OF TRIBAL MINERAL RESOURCES › § 2102
Summary
Indian tribes may sign many kinds of deals with others to explore for, mine, drill, process, or sell minerals (like oil, gas, uranium, coal, geothermal, or other minerals) when the tribe owns the resource. The tribe must follow its own constitution or charter and get approval from the Secretary. An individual Indian who owns a mineral interest can add those resources to a tribal minerals deal too, if the other parties agree and the Secretary finds it is in that Indian’s best interest.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §2102
Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)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)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
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60