10 USC 8739 – Certain oil shale reserves: transfer of jurisdiction and petroleum exploration, development, and production
(a)
Terms Used In 10 USC 8739
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
(2) Not later than November 18, 1998, the Secretary of Energy shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior administrative jurisdiction over those public domain lands included within the developed tract of Oil Shale Reserve Numbered 3, which consists of approximately 6,000 acres and 24 natural gas wells, together with pipelines and associated facilities.
(3) Notwithstanding the transfer of jurisdiction, the Secretary of Energy shall continue to be responsible for all environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental compliance activities that are required under Federal and State laws with respect to conditions existing on the lands at the time of the transfer.
(4) Upon the transfer to the Secretary of the Interior of jurisdiction over public domain lands under this subsection, the other provisions of this chapter shall cease to apply with respect to the transferred lands.
(b)
(2) Notwithstanding the delayed transfer of the developed tract of Oil Shale Reserve Numbered 3 under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary of the Interior shall enter into a lease under paragraph (1) with respect to the developed tract before November 18, 1998.
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(2) The period referred to in this subsection is the period beginning on November 18, 1997, and ending on the date on which the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior jointly certify to Congress that the sum of the moneys deposited in the Treasury under paragraph (1) is equal to the total of the following:
(A) The cost of all environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental compliance activities incurred by the United States with respect to the lands transferred under subsection (a).
(B) The cost to the United States to originally install wells, gathering lines, and related equipment on the transferred lands and any other cost incurred by the United States with respect to the lands.
(g)
(A) the results and conclusions of such studies; and
(B) an estimate of the total cost of the Secretary’s preferred alternative to address environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental compliance needs at Oil Shale Reserve Numbered 3.
(2) If the cost estimate required by paragraph (1)(B) does not exceed the total of the moneys covered into the Treasury under subsection (f)(1) and remaining available for obligation as of the date of submission of the report under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior may access such moneys, beginning 60 days after submission of the report and without further appropriation, to cover the costs of implementing the preferred alternative to address environmental restoration, waste management, and environmental compliance needs at Oil Shale Reserve Numbered 3. If the cost estimate exceeds such available moneys, the Secretary of the Interior may only access such moneys as authorized by subsequent Act of Congress.