^00 STAT. 3341-285
PUBLIC LAW 99-591—OCT. 30, 1986
National Forest lands or the Secretary of the Interior to issue under their existing authority in any area of National Forest or public lands withdrawn pursuant to this Act such permits as may be necessary to conduct prospecting, seismic surveys, and core sampling conducted by helicopter or other means not requiring construction of roads or improvement of existing roads or ways, for the purpose of gathering information about and inventorying energy, mineral, and other resource values of such area, if such activity is carried out in a manner compatible with the preservation of the wilderness environment: Provided further, That seismic activities involving the use of explosives shall not be permitted in designated wilderness areas: Provided further, That funds provided in this Act may be used by the Secretary of the Interior to augment recurring surveys of the mineral values of wilderness areas pursuant to section 4(d)(2) of the Wilderness Act and acquire information on other national forest and public land areas withdrawn pursuant to this Act, by conducting in conjunction with the Secretary of Energy, the National Laboratories, or other Federal agencies, as appropriate, such mineral inventories of areas withdrawn pursuant to this Act as he deems appropriate. These inventories shall be conducted in a manner compatible with the preservation of the wilderness environment through the use of methods including core sampling conducted by helicopter; geophysical techniques such as induced polarization, synthetic aperture radar, magnetic and gravity surveys; geochemical techniques including stream sediment reconnaissance and x-ray diffraction analysis; land satellites; or any other methods he deems appropriate. The Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to conduct inventories or segments of inventories, such as data analysis activities, by contract with private entities deemed by him to be qualified to engage in such activities whenever he has determined that such contracts would decrease Federal expenditures and would produce comparable or superior results: Provided further. That in carrying out any such inventory or surveys, where National Forest System lands are involved, the Secretary of the Interior shall consult with the Secretary of Agriculture concerning any activities affecting surface resources: Provided further. That funds provided in this Act may be used by the Secretary of the Interior to issue oil and gas leases for the subsurface of any lands designated by Congress as wilderness study areas, that are immediately adjacent to producing oil and gas fields or areas that are prospectively valuable. Such leases shall allow no surface occupancy and may be entered only by directional drilling from outside the wilderness study area or other nonsurface disturbing methods. SEC. 308. None of the funds provided in this Act shall be used tc evaluate, consider, process, or award oil, gas, or geothermal leases on Federal lands in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, State of Washington, within the hydrographic boundaries of the Cedar River municipal watershed upstream of river mile 21.6, the Green River municipal watershed upstream of river mile 61.0, the North Fork of the Tolt River proposed municipal watershed upstream of river mile 11.7, and the South Fork Tolt River municipal watershed upstream of river mile 8.4. SEC. 309. No assessments may be levied against any program, budget activity, subactivity, or project funded by this Act unless such assessments and the basis therefor are presented to the
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