30 U.S.C. § 303 : US Code - Section 303: Conditions precedent to award of lease; preferred class; bidding

Search 30 U.S.C. § 303 : US Code - Section 303: Conditions precedent to award of lease; preferred class; bidding

Prior to the award of any lease under section 301 of this title,
the Secretary of the Interior shall notify the owner or lessee of
adjoining lands and allow him a reasonable time, to be fixed in the
notice given, within which to submit an offer or bid of the amount
or percentage of compensatory royalty that such owner will agree to
pay for the extraction through wells on his or its adjoining land,
of the oil or gas under and from such adjoining right of way, and
at the same time afford the holder of the railroad or other right
of way a like opportunity within the same time to submit its bid or
offer as to the amount or percentage of royalty it will agree to
pay, if a lease for the extraction of the oil and gas deposits
under the right of way be awarded to the holder of such right of
way. In case of competing offers by the said parties in interest,
the Secretary shall award the right to extract the oil and gas to
the bidder, duly qualified, making the offer in his opinion most
advantageous to the United States. In case but one bid or offer is
received after notice duly given, he may, in his discretion, award
the right to extract the oil and gas to such bidder.