PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

People or companies who helped develop the atomic energy program cannot profit from claiming public lands if, because of their work, they learned secret government information about uranium, thorium, or similar deposits on those lands and then, after August 30, 1954, made or caused a claim, entry, or settlement on that land. Most promises by the United States to keep radioactive mineral rights (made under Executive Orders dated September 13, 1945; March 4, 1946; and December 5, 1947, or under the Atomic Energy Acts of 1946 or 1954) were transferred to the person who owned, occupied, or used the land on August 19, 1958. Any such transfer already made after August 12, 1954 relying on Atomic Energy Act authority is still valid. These transfers are subject to any rights the United States already granted, and they take the place of the United States’ prior rights. Earlier mining claims for source materials that were properly located under U.S. mining laws remain valid.

Title 42, §2098

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Conditions on location, entry, and settlement

No individual, corporation, partnership, or association, which had any part, directly or indirectly, in the development of the atomic energy program, may benefit by any location, entry, or settlement upon the public domain made after such individual, corporation, partnership, or association took part in such project, if such individual, corporation, partnership, or association, by reason of having had such part in the development of the atomic energy program, acquired confidential official information as to the existence of deposits of such uranium, thorium, or other materials in the specific lands upon which such location, entry, or settlement is made, and subsequent to August 30, 1954, made such location, entry, or settlement or caused the same to be made for his, or its, or their benefit.

(b)Reservation of mineral rights; release

Any reservation of radioactive mineral substances, fissionable materials, or source material, together with the right to enter upon the land and prospect for, mine, and remove the same, inserted pursuant to Executive Order 9613 of September 13, 1945, Executive Order 9701 of March 4, 1946, the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, or Executive Order 9908 of December 5, 1947, in any patent, conveyance, lease, permit, or other authorization or instrument disposing of any interest in public or acquired lands of the United States, is released, remised, and quitclaimed to the person or persons entitled upon August 19, 1958 under the grant from the United States or successive grants to the ownership, occupancy, or use of the land under the applicable Federal or State laws: Provided, however, That in cases where any such reservation on acquired lands of the United States has been heretofore released, remised, or quitclaimed subsequent to August 12, 1954, in reliance upon authority deemed to have been contained in the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, as amended, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 [42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.], as heretofore amended, the same shall be valid and effective in all respects to the same extent as if public lands and not acquired lands had been involved. The foregoing release shall be subject to any rights which may have been granted by the United States pursuant to any such reservation, but the releases shall be subrogated to the rights of the United States.

(c)Prior locations

Notwithstanding the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, as amended, and particularly section 5(b)(7) thereof, or the provisions of sections 501 to 505 of title 30, and particularly section 503 of title 30, any mining claim, heretofore located under the mining laws of the United States, for or based upon a discovery of a mineral deposit which is a source material and which, except for the possible contrary construction of said Atomic Energy Act, would have been locatable under such mining laws, shall, insofar as adversely affected by such possible contrary construction, be valid and effective, in all respects to the same extent as if said mineral deposit were a locatable mineral deposit other than a source material.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Atomic Energy Act of 1946, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c), is act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, 60 Stat. 755, which was classified generally to chapter 14 (§ 1801 et seq.) of this title prior to the general amendment by act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 919. The act of Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, is now known as the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, and is classified principally to this chapter. section 5(b)(7) thereof, referred to in subsec. (c), means section 5(b)(7) of act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, 60 Stat. 762, which was classified to section 1805(b)(7) of this title and was omitted in the general amendment of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 by act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 919. The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, referred to in subsec. (b), is act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, as added by act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 919, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 2011 of this title and Tables. Ex. Ord. No. 9908, eff. Dec. 5, 1947, 12 F.R. 8223; Ex. Ord. No. 9701 eff. Mar. 7, 1946, 11 F.R. 2369, and Ex. Ord. No. 9613, eff. Sept. 13, 1945, 10 F.R. 11789, referred to in subsec. (b), related to reservation of source material in certain lands owned by the United States; reservation of rights to fissionable materials in lands owned by the United States; and withdrawal and reservation for the use of the United States lands containing radio-active mineral substances. Ex. Ord. No. 10596, eff. Feb. 15, 1955, 20 F.R. 1007, revoked Ex. Ord. No. 9908, which had revoked Ex. Ord. No. 9701, which had earlier revoked Ex. Ord. No. 9613.

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to this section were contained in section 1805(b)(7) of this title, prior to the general amendment and renumbering of act Aug. 1, 1946, by act Aug. 30, 1954.

Amendments

1958—Pub. L. 85–681, which directed the general amendment of this section and set out a new section catchline and text of subsec. (b), was executed by substituting “Public and acquired lands” for “Public lands” in section catchline and amending only subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) related to reissuance of patent, conveyance, lease, permit, or other authorization without reservation to the United States of source materials and certain rights, subject to conditions.

§2098 Public and Acquired Lands