43 U.S.C. § 145 : US Code - Section 145: Sale of lands withdrawn

Search 43 U.S.C. § 145 : US Code - Section 145: Sale of lands withdrawn

Whenever in the opinion of the Secretary of the Interior any
lands which have been withdrawn under the provisions of sections
141 (!1) and 142 of this title for the purpose of exploratory
drilling to discover water supplies for irrigation or other
purposes, and which have had wells or other permanent improvements
placed thereon by and at the expense of the United States are no
longer needed for the purpose for which they were withdrawn and
improved, the Secretary of the Interior may appraise the lands,
together with the improvements thereon, and thereafter sell the
same to a citizen of the United States for not less than the
appraised value at public auction to the highest bidder, after
giving public notice of the time and place of sale by posting upon
the land and publication for not less than thirty days in a
newspaper of general circulation in the vicinity of the land.