Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 84 Part 2.djvu/238

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[84 STAT. 1568]
PUBLIC LAW 91-000—MMMM. DD, 1970
[84 STAT. 1568]

1568

Term.

Limitation. Renewal,

Extension.

41 Stat. 437.

PUBLIC LAW 91-581-DEC. 24, 1970

[84 STAT.

the lessee fails to pay the deficiency within the period prescribed in the notice: Provided further, That, where any lease has been terminated automatically by operation of law under this section for failure to pay rental timely and it is shown to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior that the failure to pay timely the lease rental was justifiable or not due to a lack of reasonable diligence, he in his judgment may reinstate the lease if— (1) a petition for reinstatement, together with the required rental, is tiled with the Secretary of the Interior; and (2) no valid lease has been issued affecting any of the lands in the terminated lease prior to the filing of the petition for reinstatement; and (d) a minimum royalty of $2 per acre or fraction thereof in lieu of rental payable at the expiration of each lease year for each producing lease, commencing with the lease year beginning on or after the commencement of production in commercial quantities. For the purpose of determining royalties hereunder the value of any geothermal steam and byproduct used by the lessee and not sold and reasonably susceptible of sale shall be determined by the Secretary, who shall take into consideration the cost of exploration and production and the economic value of the resource in terms of its ultimate utilization. g^c. 6. (a) Geothermal leases shall be for a primary term of ten years. If geothermal steam is produced or utilized in commercial quantities within this term, such lease shall continue for so long thereafter as geothermal steam is produced or utilized in commercial quantities, but such coutinuation shall not exceed an additional forty years. ^j^^ j£^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^^ ^^ ^uoh forty years, steam is produced or utilized in commercial quantities and the lands are not needed for other purposes, the lessee shall have a preferential right to a renewal of such lease for a second forty-year term in accordance with such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems appropriate. (^^s^ ^j^y jg^se for land on which, or for which under an approved cooperative or unit plan of development or operation, actual drilling operations were commenced prior to the end of its primary term and are being diligently prosecuted at that time shall be extended for five years and so long thereafter, but not more than thirty-five years, as geothermal steam is produced or utilized in commercial quantities. If, at the end of such extended term, steam is being produced or utilized in commercial quantities and the lands are not needed for other purposes, the lessee shall have a preferential right to a renewal of such lease for a second term in accordance with such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems appropriate. (d) For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, production or utilization of geothermal steam in commercial quantities shall be deemed to include the completion of one or more wells producing or capable of producing geothermal steam in commercial quantities and a bona fide sale of such geothermal steam for delivery to or utilization by a facility or facilities not yet installed but scheduled for installation not later than fifteen years from the date of commencement of the primary term of the lease. (e) Leases which have extended by reasons of production, or which have produced geothermal steam, and have been determined by the Secretary to be incapable of further commercial production and utilization of geothermal steam may be further extended for a period of not more than five years from the date of such determination but only for so long as one or more valuable byproducts are produced in commercial quantities. If such byproducts are leasable under the Mineral Lcasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181, et seq.), or under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C.