Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73not60

§1420 Conservation of Natural Resources

Title 30 › Chapter 26— DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › Subchapter I— REGULATION OF EXPLORATION AND COMMERCIAL RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS › § 1420

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each license or permit must include rules to prevent waste and to keep open the future chance to commercially recover the remaining hard minerals in that area. The official in charge must consider available technology, how the minerals are processed, any value or use of waste, environmental effects, economic and resource data, and the nation’s need for those minerals. The phrase "conservation of natural resources" does not allow controlling how much is produced, setting prices, controlling profits or markets, or deciding which minerals to recover, except for effects that happen as side effects of these rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1420

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For the purpose of conservation of natural resources, each license and permit issued under this subchapter shall contain, as needed, terms, conditions, and restrictions which have due regard for the prevention of waste and the future opportunity for the commercial recovery of the unrecovered balance of the hard mineral resources in the area to which the license or permit applies. In establishing these terms, conditions, and restrictions, the Administrator shall consider the state of the technology, the processing system utilized and the value and potential use of any waste, the environmental effects of the exploration or commercial recovery activities, economic and resource data, and the national need for hard mineral resources. As used in this chapter, the term “conservation of natural resources” is not intended to grant, imply, or create any inference of production controls or price regulation, in particular those which would affect the volume of production, prices, profits, markets, or the decision of which minerals or metals are to be recovered, except as such effects may be incidental to actions taken pursuant to this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1420

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60